From Below or Saints Above
by Girl on Fire
Summary: A pack of werewolves, a vampire, and a ghost torment two innocent people while trying to destroy each other.
1. Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone. All characters are property of WWE. The title of this story is taken from a lyric in the song "A Stroke of Luck" by Garbage.

Author's Notes: I've written about vampires before, but never werewolves or shapeshifters, so please be understanding if you find any mistakes related to the mythology.

* * *

"Come on, babe…It's not what you think!" John "Morrison" Hennigan pleaded to no avail. If looks could kill, he would have been dead and buried on the spot.

"So, she's not one of your groupies?" Melina Perez screamed at her boyfriend. Her shrill tone threatened to rupture the eardrums of anyone within hearing range. The backstage crowd had thinned out considerably at the first sign of Melina's infamous temper, but a few curious onlookers remained. "Then who is she, John? Your other girlfriend? Your wife?"

Melina's accusations had caused the blonde to run like hell, much to her dismay. She dearly wanted to rearrange the young woman's perfect plastic features-but she'd settle for tearing John apart in front of his fellow band members. None of them wanted to get involved in the altercation and had chosen to watch from a safe distance instead.

"Melina, I-"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear any more of your pathetic excuses!" Melina blinked back the tears that threatened to spill and forced herself to take a deep breath. Her next words came out eerily calm but decisive. "It's over, John. _We're_ over."

The remorse written on his face and reflected in his beautiful blue eyes was undeniable, yet it had no effect on Melina whatsoever.

John had vowed that he would never become one of _those_ rock stars-the ones who took their girlfriends for granted and slept with every groupie who threw herself at them. In return, Melina had sworn that she wouldn't get jealous and fly into rages whenever she saw other women flirting with her boyfriend.

However, their pact was broken tonight after she'd caught him with his hands all over the blonde. Forgiveness wasn't an option. She spun on her heel, attempting to flee before the tears became hysterical sobs, but John caught her arm and forced her to look at him.

"I'm sorry," he apologized softly. "I love you, Mel. I never meant to hurt you-"

He was interrupted by a vicious slap to the face that practically left a handprint behind. Melina's expression was as stunned as his. She took in the Jim Morrison look-alike one final time, wondering when he had stopped being John and turned into his idol.

"The only person you love is yourself!" she spat at him.

This time, John had the good sense not to follow or try to stop his now ex-girlfriend as she raced for the exit.

* * *

When Melina had selected an outfit for the evening, her only thought had been catching John's eye. She'd chosen the glamorous red dress and four-inch black heels with a formal dinner in mind-as opposed to dashing through the streets of Tampa for her hotel room.

She regretted her decision as she tripped and was thrown head-first toward the sidewalk. A shriek escaped from her lips and she braced for the inevitable collision by throwing her hands out protectively.

"You shouldn't run in those things. It's dangerous."

A dazed Melina stared into the handsome face of the tall stranger who had come from out of nowhere to catch her. She started to wonder how he could have arrived on the scene so quickly, but one look into his icy blue irises emptied everything from her mind besides him. Although he was dressed simply in jeans and a black T-shirt, it was impossible to miss the chiseled-out-of-granite body underneath and the endless tattoos snaking their way around his forearms.

"I-I know," she stuttered as he placed her back on her feet. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment when she thought of her appearance. Disheveled black curls, mascara and eyeliner running down her face like raindrops, a broken heel…_I'm a mess,_ Melina moaned inwardly, but the man smiled at her regardless.

"My name's Randy," he introduced himself. "And you are…?"

"Melina." She found herself tongue-tied around him. Not even John had this effect on her.

"He's not worth it, Melina," he said abruptly. She gasped and jerked backward in surprise. "The one who broke your heart."

"How did you…"

Randy shrugged. "Why else would a beautiful woman be running down the sidewalk in tears at night?" He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. His light touch was enough to shoot sparks throughout Melina's body and make her knees sway dangerously. "I hope you dumped his sorry ass, because you deserve better."

"Someone like you?" she asked coyly. It was probably too soon to consider getting tangled up in another relationship, but what was the harm in a little flirting? After all, it took her mind off of a certain self-absorbed singer…

"Perhaps," he murmured with a ghost of a smile. "Let's go somewhere more...private. I'd like to get to know you-if you're interested, that is." His eyes narrowed slightly and became, if possible, even more captivating than before.

Melina's own smile stretched from ear to ear as she nodded. It was clear from Randy's tone what his intentions were, and, although Melina wasn't the type to have impulsive sex with a complete stranger-no matter how hot he was-she felt strangely compelled to agree to his plans. There was something…_different_ about him that sucked her in and made her want to be in his presence.

The woman carried her shoes in her right hand and linked her other arm through Randy's. A light breeze cooled the humid night air typical of Florida summers and the stars were bright in the clear sky above. It was a perfect evening for a long walk.

Randy ended up taking Melina to a nearby park. They had the park to themselves because, at this hour, everyone else was either at home or enjoying the local nightlife. He led her to an area heavily shaded by trees and she regarded him with a combination of excitement and confusion.

"Close your eyes," Randy ordered with a smirk.

Melina obeyed. Her heart raced as she anticipated his lips crashing onto hers.

Instead, she was shocked and horrified to feel something sharp pierce her neck. Her eyelids flew open and a feral scream clawed its way out of her throat.

_Vampire! _cried a voice inside her head. _He's a vampire! _Irrational as it sounded, it was the only explanation that fit the scenario. Melina punched and kicked at Randy, but her efforts were the equivalent of striking a brick wall. She panicked as she felt her strength being drained along with her blood.

_This is it. I'm going to die. Just like a character in a horror movie..._

Before she could take her last breath, Randy pulled away. The sudden action caused Melina to fall roughly to the ground. Through her blurred vision, she saw him bring his wrist to his mouth and tear the skin with his teeth.

"Relax, sweetheart. I'm not going to let you die." He paused, and a kind of sadistic amusement flickered across his face. "I'm going to turn you."

"No…No…" Melina protested weakly, shaking her head from side to side. Randy ignored her pleas and, kneeling next to her, pressed his bloody wrist to her lips. Melina was forced to repeatedly swallow the coppery-tasting liquid that rapidly filled her mouth and threatened to suffocate her. It was disgusting, but she had no alternative.

Randy withdrew after what seemed like hours but was probably a few minutes. He laughed at her sickened expression-a cruel, taunting sound that sent chills up and down Melina's spine. _Is this what I'm going to turn into? _she wondered. Fresh tears suddenly filled her eyes and trickled down her cheeks nonstop.

"You belong to me now," he whispered in her ear. "Forever." Then he wrapped his hands around her throat and squeezed. The pain was indescribable, but it gave Melina the motivation she so desperately needed.

With renewed energy, she scratched at his arms and face as he choked the remaining life out of her. Realizing once more that she was helpless against the vampire's supernatural strength, she prayed for God to intervene on her behalf and allow her to rest in peace instead of becoming a monster like Randy.

Everything went black in the middle of Melina's prayer. Only time would tell whether she was destined for the afterlife or condemned to eternity as a vampire.


	2. Fiction Meets Reality

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or added this story to your alerts!

* * *

Something wasn't right.

Wade Barrett glanced over his shoulder and held out his right hand in a "stop" position. The rest of the Nexus pack immediately halted in place while their alpha assessed the situation. Their hunting trip would have to put on the back burner for now.

It took a few seconds for his senses to process everything. Movement in the shadows. Footsteps, light and quick as a cat's graceful gait and nearly imperceptible to human ears. Three distinct scents: Blood…Death…Vampire.

The last one caused Wade's lips to curl into a sneer. His personal mantra-which the rest of the pack had adopted and enforced with passionate intensity-was, "You're either Nexus or you're against us." Most vampires and other werewolves avoided them, and most humans would be terrified if they encountered Nexus in either their human or wolf forms. There were some, however, who remained a perpetual thorn in Wade's side because of their refusal to back down without a fight.

Randy Orton was one of them.

Crooking a finger, Wade signaled to the other five werewolves to surround the vampire. To his credit, Randy stood his ground, unflinchingly meeting their eyes with a malevolent glare. The pack leader grudgingly respected him for that, but, of course, he'd never admit it.

Wade's gaze briefly drifted to the dead woman lying at Randy's feet. The blood smeared around her sensuous mouth was the only indication that death was just a temporary stop on her journey. She had clearly been a striking beauty before Orton mauled her-and, once she awakened, that beauty would be nearly as dangerous as her bloodlust.

"I see you made dinner reservations," the werewolf commented in his rough British accent.

Randy shrugged. "Actually, I had…other intentions, but my priorities changed at the last minute. I'll make it up to her later," he added with a smirk.

A distinctly canine growl rose and died in Wade's throat despite the fact that he looked perfectly human at the moment. The newest members of Nexus, ginger-haired Heath Slater and Darren Young, whose own hair defied gravity, shifted uneasily at the noise, but the other three remained still as statues.

"You shouldn't have turned her, Orton. We can't have a rogue running about drawing unwanted attention."

"Then do something about it," Randy challenged. "Kill her. Kill _me_."

They couldn't. At least, not without a stake or something to burn the bloodsucker to ashes. But they _could_ teach him a lesson he'd remember forever.

The assault that followed was brief yet effective. Randy was a worthy opponent, and the night might have ended differently for Wade's side had it not been five-on-one. The result was a flurry of curses, insults, bloodshed, and bones snapping like twigs. Wade had intended to join in the fun until he remembered the woman, whose body was resting nearby.

He knew from personal experience that neither vampires nor werewolves could afford to be impulsive when choosing someone to turn. There was always a specific rationale or quality that made a person the perfect candidate. Why Randy Orton had selected this one was a mystery-but his endorsement was reason enough for Wade to decide that she belonged with Nexus.

Wade lowered his muscular, towering frame, picked her up, and stood again in one swift movement.

Meanwhile, Randy threw himself at an unprepared Heath, knocking the young werewolf down, and used his vampire reflexes to scramble over and past him. One of the largest pack members, Skip Sheffield, attempted to grab Randy's leg as he slithered past and was rewarded with a boot to the jaw.

"Stop," Wade ordered, pleased with the damage inflicted. He motioned for the others to form a circle around him while Randy staggered backward.

The vampire grimaced in pain as he moved. One arm dangled uselessly while the other held his broken ribs together. Blood trailed from his nose and down his pursed lips and defiantly tilted chin. His injuries would probably heal by the time he got home, but the bitter taste of defeat would continue to haunt him.

"Missing something?" Wade taunted. "Come and get her."

For a second, it appeared that Randy considered doing just that. Wade smugly noted the indecision that washed over his enemy's battered face. It had to be eating away at him, knowing that his property now belonged to another man and he couldn't do a damned thing about it.

Randy apparently decided that the odds of reclaiming his prize were not in his favor, because he continued to back off. His flashing eyes swept over the entire pack, then the female, before settling on Wade.

"This isn't over," he hissed.

"Far from it," agreed Wade. He eagerly awaited their next encounter. Killing a notorious, centuries-old vampire would greatly enhance his-and the pack's-reputation.

Despite his injuries, Randy disappeared with impressive speed, but not before casting one more hateful look in Wade's direction . With him out of the picture, Wade looked into the woman's glassy brown eyes and contemplated what role she would play within Nexus.

Once he seduced her-and it was just a matter of time, because American women were generally charmed by his rugged good looks and foreign accent-she would do _anything_ for him. Anything from satisfying the alpha's distracting physical needs and desires to recruiting new pack members and erasing victims' memories via mind control to luring enemies to violent fates…

"What are you doing, Wade?" David Otunga questioned, cutting into the Brit's thoughts.

"The girl's useful," he replied, unable to keep a hint of annoyance from creeping into his voice. Like Wade, David had been born with the werewolf gene, but he wasn't alpha material and clearly resented Wade's position. "Think about it. She could be a real asset to us."

He looked each and every one of them in the eye. "Does anyone object to bringing this vampire into the pack?" An undeniable air of authority clung to his every word.

Not surprisingly, their responses consisted of much head shaking and a murmured "No" from some. Even David, whose permanent scowl deepened, wisely kept his mouth shut.

* * *

Melina woke up with a case of amnesia-and either the worst hangover or flu she'd had in her entire life.

She felt as if she hadn't eaten in days. A relentless throbbing started in her teeth and gums and wrapped around the rest of her head. Her throat burned as if someone had forced her to drink a beaker of acid.

A quick examination of her surroundings revealed that Melina was resting on a sofa in an unfamiliar living room. Her dress was torn and smudged with dirt; her shoes, missing. An attempt to run a hand through her tangled hair resulted in a wince.

She frantically searched her brain for clues. She recalled getting into an argument with John about some platinum blonde groupie, but that's where her memories ended and the blank space began.

Terror raced through Melina's body. Her suspicions of getting drunk or sick were replaced with the firm conviction that she'd been drugged and raped. Even more alarming, she felt someone staring a hole through her.

There was a man leaning against the doorway that separated the living room and kitchen. His pose was nonchalant, but his gaze burned with such an intense curiosity that Melina found herself unable to meet his eyes. Instead, she made a subtle attempt to check out his body, studying him from underneath lowered lashes.

It would be a lie to say she didn't find him attractive. The man was built like a pro wrestler and had at least a foot on Melina, who was five-feet-four. He was dressed entirely in black and his short, slicked back hair was dyed to match, in stunning contrast to his lightly tanned skin and either blue or green eyes. A large tattoo peeked out from under the left sleeve of his T-shirt.

Something about his appearance reminded her of someone else. The memory was vague but carried a strong undertone of fear. Melina shuddered involuntarily as the man took one measured step toward her, then another.

"Stay away from me!" she cried, trying-and failing-to sound intimidating. He continued inching forward until he reached the end of the sofa, where he stopped, arms folded across his chest.

Maybe a kick to the groin would make him think twice about messing with her.

"Don't be afraid." Melina was startled by his accent, which was rather harsh in comparison to the other British accents she'd heard. "I'm not going to hurt you."

_Yeah, right, _she thought bitterly. The sick bastard might have gotten away with raping her when she was unconscious, but he wouldn't get another chance to do it again. She would rather die trying to escape than remain imprisoned here where he could torture her to his heart's content.

Melina dashed for the front door, counting on her speed to compensate for the size difference between them. Unfortunately, that was a miscalculation on her part. Her feet had barely touched the floor when her attacker lunged and grabbed her arms, holding her firmly in place.

"Let go of me!" she screamed, wriggling in vain and aiming a few kicks to his shin that he easily dodged. "Don't touch me, you fucking rapist!"

She braced herself for the impact, waiting to get slapped around or punched out over her accusation, but the Brit's carefully composed features merely dissolved into a thoughtful frown.

"You don't remember."

Melina didn't respond. She suddenly found herself distracted by the pulsating artery visible just under the skin of his neck. The pressure in her gums-especially the area surrounding her incisors-increased considerably at the sight and her stomach growled. Without realizing it, she opened her mouth slightly, exposing her new fangs.

He cleared his throat. Melina jumped at the noise and, disturbed by her behavior, struggled once again to meet his eyes. His poker-faced expression disturbed her. It was almost as if he had expected her to go crazy. Anticipated it. He'd witnessed the beginning of her descent into madness and it had no effect on him whatsoever.

"What's happening to me?" she whispered.

"You're turning into a vampire," he told her matter-of-factly. "I found your body in the park after you were attacked and the process was nearly complete then. You'll die within a few hours if you don't feed on human blood."

_Vampire. _The word conjured up the rest of the buried memories in Melina's subconscious and silenced her protests. She wanted so badly to tell him he was crazy and that this wasn't the time for jokes, but she couldn't-_because he was telling the truth_.

Melina squeezed her watery eyes shut, but it wasn't enough to stop the flood of nightmarish mental images that assaulted her…

Randy. The park. An explosion of pain. The blood exchange. Hands closing in around her throat, strangling her into oblivion. Unanswered prayers. And, of course, Randy's vow to "turn" her.

Now she understood why this man made her uncomfortable. He shared some of the same physical characteristics with that _monster_, as well as a similar aloof personality. The difference was, he had no interest in harming her.

She blinked, filled with revulsion because her intentions toward him were the complete opposite. The hot, intoxicating blood swimming through his veins was so tempting…

Mercifully, the sound of his voice provided a welcome diversion from her reverie. "Now, the way I see it, you have two choices. Either I can break your neck and end your suffering _or_ you can join my pack and we will help you get through your transformation."

"Pack? As in…werewolves?" Melina asked uncertainly, her dark eyes widening.

He nodded, obviously pleased. "That's right. I'm Wade Barrett, leader of the Nexus werewolf pack." Wade smiled slightly at the bewildered stare she gave him. "I'll give you a moment to let that sink in."

"But I thought werewolves and vampires…Aren't they-we-supposed to be enemies?" This was too weird. It made her wonder what other paranormal creatures existed under the human radar. Ghosts? Aliens?

Wade shook his head. "Not necessarily, but that's a conversation for another time. Right now, you have a decision to make."

"I don't want to die." The words seemed to leap from Melina's lips of their own free will. Melina still had some humanity left when she returned from the dead, but it began slipping away rapidly once she noticed the vein in Wade's throat. She was already acting like a vampire and now she thought like one, too.

"Then we have some hunting to do. _Human_ blood," Wade reminded her, as if he could read her mind. Perhaps he could. He removed his left hand from her arm, and only then did she realize that he'd maintained that firm grip on both her arms the whole time. She supposed even werewolves had to take precautions around vampires-in-progress. "What's your name, love?"

"Melina."

"You're one of us now, Melina. Nexus will take care of you and protect you, and we'll find the vampire who did this and make him pay. I promise."

She nodded, embarrassed to feel the tears gathering once more. Wade acted like a gentleman around her, but her intuition warned that he could be a dangerous enemy. She felt safe with him, though. No one, not even Randy, would ever hurt her again as long as she was by his side.

Wade squeezed her hand, smiling. "Come on. You must be starving."

Melina stared at the carpet as they walked. She tried to block out what she had to do-obsessing about blood made her hungry yet nauseated-and come up with something to say to Wade instead. "Thank you" was the appropriate response to his kindness, but that simple phrase was incapable of conveying the gratitude she felt. Wade was a hero. He had saved her from being Randy's eternal bitch. How could she possibly repay a debt of that magnitude?

She didn't know, but she was going to do her best.


	3. No Salvation

"Son of a bitch!"

The vampire slammed the door behind him, pulling it shut with such force that it threatened to break free from its hinges. He sank onto the black leather sofa, balled his fists, and leaned his forehead against them. Every attempt to distract himself during the past few nights-most of which involved draining beautiful young women-had failed miserably. He just couldn't stop obsessing over his rightful property and the pack of fucking _mutts_ who'd stolen it.

_Her_, technically. Melina.

Randy had never been a religious man. He'd never believed in God or any kind of afterlife. He only believed in vampires after becoming one and werewolves because of his encounters with the Nexus pack.

Meeting Melina, however, made him reconsider the possibility of reincarnation-or at least possession.

He picked up the picture frame on the coffee table and traced the stunning features trapped beneath the glass. Although Maryse Ouellet had been a brunette at the time of their meeting, her locks were fair in the photograph. Maryse had decided to bleach her hair, inspired by popular movie stars of the day such as Lana Turner and Ginger Rogers, although she refused to wear it in a more fashionable length. Her eyes, Randy recalled, were hazel and always filled with mischief, and she had a tall, lithe body that was well proportioned in all the right places…

It was madness, of course. Melina and Maryse were _not_ one and the same.

Maryse wasn't someone who would let the slightest transgression go unpunished. She had had several decades to return and avenge her death at Randy's hands, yet he didn't have a shred of evidence to prove she was haunting him.

_So, the rumors are true, _he thought, returning Maryse's picture to the table. _We don't have souls._ Their victims would surely argue that they lacked consciences, too, if only they hadn't been murdered or had their memories erased.

Melina wasn't like those pathetic humans, though. She didn't beg and plead or offer her body in exchange for her life. No, she had fought him with the same fiery intensity that Maryse had brought to the bedroom. Randy had fucked countless females over the years, but only two women had turned him on like _that_.

And, thanks to Wade Barrett, he never got a chance to see what Melina was capable of in bed.

But he would. First, though, he would have to take out every single member of Nexus. He'd save that smug British bastard for last and prolong his suffering. Just thinking about sticking silver knives into Wade's body like pins in a voodoo doll and listening to the werewolf scream in agony and wish for death out loud brought a smile to his face.

Randy's smile turned into a grin when he added the mental image of a vulnerable, lonely Melina to his fantasy. Without the pack's protection, she would finally be his to do what he pleased with, as often and in as many ways as he chose.

This time, however, _he_ was going to mold _her_ into the ideal vampire-not the other way around.

* * *

"I thought vampires could survive on animal blood."

"_Vampires_ can, but you haven't made the transition yet," Wade reminded Melina as they walked. "And, in order for that to happen, you must drink human blood."

"Oh." Melina pondered taking a few pints from John, but the cheating bastard was still on tour and probably across the state by now, if not in another state entirely. Three days had already passed since Melina's murder, according to Wade.

_Too bad, _she mused.

"It's not too late to change your mind," Wade reminded her.

"No." Melina shook her head resolutely. Try as she might, the only memory she could conjure up of her trip to the afterlife was one of inky blackness. The alternative somehow frightened her less than an eternity of nothingness.

Besides, she could always survive on the "animal diet" after her initial taste of blood. It wasn't _that_ big of a stretch for a meat eater…Right?

Melina could hear the pounding footsteps even before they got close enough to see the running trails. A jogger, from the sound of it. She inched forward and finally saw a short, dark-haired man come to a stop. He bent over, hands resting against his kneecaps, as he tried to catch his breath.

"Perfect," Wade breathed over Melina's shoulder. He turned her around, looked her over from head to toe, and smirked. "Tell him you were assaulted and you need help. Throw yourself into his arms, cry, and then go for his throat."

"Assaulted?" she questioned, then glanced at her dirty dress and bare feet. She would definitely have to get some new clothes-and soon. "Oh. Right."

Having spent her entire life in Los Angeles, Melina had often fantasized about becoming an actress. Although Randy's actions had permanently crushed that dream, she was about to find out whether she possessed the necessary acting skills to make it in Hollywood. She began half running, half stumbling toward the jogger.

"Help! Somebody help me!" she called out in a panicked tone, then switched to begging. "Please…" Melina tripped on purpose once she was close enough for the man to touch, landing awkwardly at his feet. He was quick to help her up and give her a visual once over.

"What happened? Are you hurt?" His genuine concern over her condition jolted Melina's conscience. She hated doing this to someone as nice-and cute-as him, but she couldn't afford to wait out the hunger much longer.

"Some guy jumped me," she confided. Wade had told her to cry, and she had intended to call on every painful memory she had to bring forth the tears, but it wasn't necessary. Her guilty conscience did the trick. "H-He tried to rape me, but I got away. I thought…I thought he was gonna _kill_ me…"

"It's okay," the man reassured her. She sniffled and threw her arms around him. He hesitated, apparently deciding if he should return the hug, before patting her gently on the shoulder instead. "You're safe now. I'm gonna call the police, okay?"

_I'm safe-but you're not, _Melina thought ruefully. Her nose was so close to him that she could smell the intoxicating aroma of his blood. It made her fangs descend painfully and her mouth water. She thanked him in a whisper, held him tight, and bit through the soft, thin flesh of his throat.

It was better than she imagined-better than chocolate or getting drunk or even sex. The bitter, coppery taste she remembered from before had been replaced by a savory, decadent flavor.

Although Wade's blood had also tempted her, she instinctively knew that _this_ was what she had been craving all along. Greedily, she sucked down as much as she could without gagging, ignoring the man's shouts and futile attempts to push her away.

"That's enough," Wade finally ordered from somewhere behind her. Melina ignored him, too, determined to keep feeding until every last drop was gone. "_Stop_." His voice crackled like thunder in her ears, causing her to flinch. The werewolf grabbed the thrashing vampire around the waist and removed her from her prey, who immediately collapsed.

"Put me down!" she shrieked. "I'm not finished!"

"You've had enough for now," he argued. Then, in an admonishing tone, "It would be bloody stupid to leave a trail of bodies behind, don't you think?"

Melina considered his words, slowly tracing a line around her mouth with her tongue in a hopeless attempt to clean up all the blood left behind. She studied her victim's terrified face and milky white skin, then looked at Wade with an expression devoid of anything but curiosity.

"Did I kill him?"

Wade shook his head. "Not quite. And, since you didn't, you need to erase his memory. You'll regret not finishing the job otherwise."

"How do I do that?" It felt weird asking a werewolf to explain a vampire trick, but she was still learning the ropes and Wade seemed well-versed in things outside the human realm.

"It's quite simple, really…"

Melina nodded as she listened to Wade's instructions, then returned to the human and knelt beside him. The bloodlust remained, but it was less distracting now that her appetite was temporarily satisfied. She cleared her mind of everything but the task at hand and gazed deep into her victim's eyes. At first, they were wide with terror, but they returned to a relaxed state after a moment.

"You were attacked by an animal tonight," Melina told him calmly but firmly. "Understand? Attacked by an animal."

"I was attacked by an animal," he responded in monotone, his soft brown eyes as unblinking and emotionless as those of a doll.

Melina smiled to herself and glanced at Wade for confirmation that she had done the whole mind control thing correctly. He walked over, took one look at the other man's face, and nodded.

"That's it." Wade wore a smug expression that Melina would soon realize was one of his trademarks. She felt like a little girl whose father was proud of her for successfully learning how to ride a bicycle.

The Brit took her hand and led her away from the trails, back in the direction they had come from. Completing the process of becoming a vampire had greatly enhanced Melina's every sense, and she could hear her victim beginning to stir. She glanced in his direction and guiltily nibbled on her lower lip. Although her instincts had taken over during the attack, her old human emotions were starting to return.

"Don't feel too bad for the bloke. Evan has caused trouble for Nexus in the past. He deserved it." Wade slipped two fingers under her chin, tilting it so that she could more easily meet his eyes. "You have _nothing _to feel remorse for, Melina. It's in your nature to attack and kill the weak. Mine, too. The sooner you embrace that, the better."

Wade had clearly embraced his inner predator long ago. Melina wondered if she would ever come to terms with being a vampire. Feeding on human blood was exhilarating, but she was alarmed by how quickly she had lost control. If Wade hadn't intervened, that man-_Evan_-would be dead right now.

She squeezed her eyes shut so that Wade wouldn't express annoyance at her tears. Her heart would have been pounding frantically against her chest if it could still beat. It terrified her to think that Randy might have infected her with his corruption along with the curse of vampirism.

_I'm turning into a bloodthirsty killer, _she worried, _and I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to stop it…_


	4. Lies and Promises

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update! Blame it on writer's block and computer problems. Again, thanks to everyone reading this story, and a special thank you to those of you who review. Enjoy!

* * *

"I-I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm from L.A. I've never lived anywhere else-but I can't go back. Not like _this_."

"You'll stay with me, of course," Wade assured Melina, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. Her whining was understandable but somewhat annoying. After all, he'd been younger than she was now when he left Britain for America, and he, too, had undergone a transformation shortly before his journey. Drama, apparently, was an affliction unique to females of every species. "You can have the spare bedroom." _For now, _he added silently, barely resisting the urge to smirk. "It's nice and dark-perfect for a vampire.

"Tonight, however, you'll be staying with the pack for awhile. I'm taking you to Skip Sheffield's place. There's somewhere I need to be, and-"

"If it's all right with you, I'd rather stay home," Melina interrupted timidly. Wade stole a glance at her and was met with a pair of worried brown eyes.

"It's too dangerous," he insisted, in a tone that left no room for argument. "I'm not leaving you alone when your sire-the vampire who turned you-is still out there. You'll be safer with the rest of Nexus around."

"But what if they don't like me?" she whispered.

"It doesn't matter. I ordered them to protect you, Melina, and that's exactly what they'll do." He smiled at her in in what he hoped was a reassuring manner, knowing that she still harbored fears of a war between werewolves and vampires. "Don't worry. I'm sure they'll find you every bit as charming as I do."

Melina visibly relaxed and they rode the rest of the way in silence. Wade pulled up on Skip's property and got out, as did his companion. Skip was a former cowboy who had given up raising beef cattle upon moving to Florida. Animals instinctively feared werewolves, so it was probably better that he sold his livestock before being turned. He had bought an isolated home in a rural area, which doubled as a place for Nexus pack meetings, and the surrounding acreage was a good place to run about during full moons.

Wade tried to hide his amusement as Melina's nails dug into his arm, leaving behind little crescent moons of blood. The already-healing wounds proved a temporary distraction from her nerves, but she turned away in shame once she realized Wade had caught her staring.

"Ready to meet the pack?" he asked. Of course, it didn't matter if she was ready or not, because Wade refused to take no for an answer.

Melina nodded resolutely, switched her anxious expression with one of grim determination, and marched up the front steps with him.

* * *

Paul Lloyd Jr., better known as PJ Lloyd, entered the empty locker room, changed into his street clothes and unwrapped the tape from his wrists. The FCW world championship belt was perched next to him on the bench.

He wanted to pinch himself. His victory still didn't seem real, even after he'd accepted congratulations from endless friends and fans, done an interview on the subject, and attended the impromptu party thrown in his honor.

Growing up in South Africa, he had watched WWE-back then, it was the WWF-on television and later trained with his father, a former wrestler turned promoter. He would have happily spent the rest of his career wrestling for his father's company, All Stars Wrestling, but fate had other plans for him.

Tragically, Paul Lloyd Sr. had been fatally shot during a confrontation with his girlfriend's husband. In the eleven years that followed, PJ had left his native country and bounced from Scotland to England to America, working odd jobs and returning to wrestling along the way. That was how he eventually came to Tampa and earned a spot on the Florida Championship Wrestling roster.

Now he was their heavyweight champion. FCW was WWE's developmental federation, where a select few honed their in-ring abilities and mic skills in preparation for the big leagues. This was one of the last stepping stones to a WWE contract…

_I hope I made you proud, Dad, _he thought with a smile. Bittersweet tears suddenly stung his green-flecked, hazel eyes.

"Congratulations."

PJ froze at the familiar accent. He turned to see Wade Barrett standing in the doorway. The tight smile on his face was unable to mask his obvious jealousy. Wrestling may be scripted, but the backstabbing and backstage politics were all too real. Although Wade was a former tag team champion, it was no secret that he coveted the heavyweight championship-and the status that came with acquiring the belt-most of all. After all, anyone that FCW saw fit to make world champion garnered special interest from WWE.

"Thanks, man," PJ responded graciously. "I appreciate it."

"Listen, there's something I have to discuss with you." Wade glanced into the hallway, looking left, then right, before pulling the door closed behind him. He then pressed his back against it, effectively preventing anyone else from entering-and keeping PJ from making an exit.

PJ Lloyd was one of those brave souls who made a career out of daredevil moves and spent his free time pursuing activities like skydiving, surfing, and bungee jumping. But being trapped in a locker room with Wade Barrett alone? That made him more than a little uneasy. Wade was a big guy with a reputation for working stiff and a violent temper, giving him plenty of reasons to fear for his safety.

"Sure. What's up?" PJ's voice came out a little too high-pitched for his liking.

"I have an offer that you simply _can't _refuse." PJ was concerned about Wade's emphasis on the word "can't", but he decided to wait for an explanation before turning him down. "You see, I'm the leader of an…an organization called Nexus. We are a group of elite individuals who work to develop our talents and abilities to the fullest. Now, you're one of the best wrestlers I've ever stepped in the ring with-and I don't hand out compliments lightly, you know-but, if you join us, I guarantee that your skills will one day exceed your wildest expectations. It will be the best decision of your entire life."

PJ stared at the Brit incredulously. Could Wade have been any more vague? He wasn't sure whether the other man was trying to get him hooked on drugs, offering to train him, or suggesting something else entirely.

"Thanks, but no thanks. My way has been working for me so far. I think I'd rather stick to the plan."

Wade raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were a risk taker."

"I am." PJ ran a hand through his messy dark hair as he decided on an appropriate response. Anyone with a healthy dose of common sense walked on eggshells around Wade. "It's just that, well…"

Wade smirked in that inimitable way of his. "I know what you're thinking. You don't trust me-and I don't blame you. I haven't given you much of a reason to trust me in the past, have I?"

"Not exactly," the other man admitted with a weak smile.

"You don't have to make a decision tonight. All I'm asking is that you consider my offer."

"I'd like to know what I'm getting into first."

Wade's expression was rueful as he shook his head. "I'm afraid I have to keep this something of a secret. Everyone will want to be a part of Nexus if the truth comes out."

"Oh." PJ's mind raced with possibilities, not to mention anxiety.

"I'll check in with you a week from now." Wade rested his hand on the doorknob and gave PJ his version of a warm smile, which was lukewarm at best. "I do hope you'll decide to join us. It would be both an honor and a privilege to call you a member."

The South African native breathed a sigh of relief after the other man left. His decision was already made. He still had no earthly idea what Nexus was, but he wanted nothing to do with Wade Barrett or anything involving him.

* * *

Melina found it difficult to believe these guys actually wanted her in their pack. Wade must have bullied them into going along with his idea, because they weren't the warm, close-knit family he'd made them out to be.

She didn't blame them for being cautious around her. After all, even though she'd taken Evan's blood before coming here, being surrounded by five living, breathing creatures aroused a steady ache in her fangs and stomach. But, in spite of being on her best behavior, she clearly wasn't welcome.

Some of the Nexus members frightened her. Skip Sheffield, for example. He was a bald beast of a man with bulging eyes. Then there was Michael Tarver, who wore a mask that covered the entire lower half of his face. His dark eyes had a chilling psychotic quality that reminded her of Randy.

David Otunga, on the other hand, was arrogant and obnoxious and grated on Melina's every nerve.

Heath Slater and Darren Young were polite but clearly afraid of their adopted vampire sister. They acted as if they expected her to rip their throats out at any second.

She pretended to watch television while the others talked and played cards, but there was no consolation to be found in the available programming. After awhile of mindlessly flipping through channels, she froze when she overheard a snide reference to herself.

"Wade's late," David complained to Michael under his breath. Melina, however, heard him as clearly as if he'd shouted across the room. "He'd better get here soon. I'm sick of babysitting the vampire."

"I can hear you, remember?" Melina snapped.

David scowled at her and folded his massive arms across his chest. "Let's get one thing straight: I don't have to be nice to you just because you're Wade's bitch-"

"Excuse me?" Melina practically flew out of the chair, causing Darren and Heath to bolt for the safety of the nearest hallway just as quickly. Skip and Michael tensed, apparently ready to separate the headstrong werewolf and the volatile vampire at a moment's notice. "I am _not_ Wade's bitch and I'm not sleeping with him! We're just friends."

"You mean you're not sleeping with him _yet_," David immediately corrected her. "I've known Wade a long time, sweetheart. He's not the saint you think he is."

"Nice try, but you can't get rid of me so easily," she scoffed, placing her hands on her hips and drawing herself to her full height-which wasn't very impressive when she was surrounded by male werewolves. "I'm not going _anywhere_."

He smirked in response and strolled over to her, then gave her a condescending pat on the shoulder. She jerked away from his touch as if a lit match had been brushed against her skin.

"One day, you'll realize that Wade Barrett only cares about himself-and Nexus." The last two words were hastily tacked onto the end of the sentence, much to Melina's confusion.

_He's just jealous, _she told herself as she sank back into the chair and the pack slowly relaxed. Wade had a lot of attributes that David Otunga was sorely lacking, but she suspected it was his position as alpha that the other werewolf coveted most. He lacked the balls to challenge Wade's leadership, so he took out his frustrations on Melina instead.

That explained _his _behavior, but she couldn't shake off her sudden doubts about Wade quite as easily. In her mind, she replayed his numerous lectures about embracing one's predatory nature and his somewhat callous dismissal of her attack on Evan. Perhaps even more disturbing, none of the other members of Nexus had rushed to their pack leader's defense.

Her stomach suddenly twisted into a knot for reasons that had nothing to do with hunger. What if David was telling the truth?

Then again, the others didn't like her, either. They were probably secretly pissed off at Wade for bringing a vampire into the fold. For all she knew, they might even be in on David's plan to scare her away!

Melina made up her mind then and there not to think badly of Wade again-unless, of course, he gave her a good reason to. He might be a wild animal at heart, but he had never been anything less than a perfect gentleman to her. She would try to remember that whenever those doubts began to creep up on her.

And, when Wade came through the door half an hour later, she immediately returned his grin. Melina had been wrong about men before, but, as she gazed into his piercing green eyes, she knew she had nothing to fear from this one.


	5. Sinister Intentions

As always, thanks to all of my readers and reviewers. A special thank you goes out to caitlinbaby for crediting this story as her inspiration for It's Forever, which is a great story anyone interested in vampires should check out.

* * *

_Home,_ Melina thought to herself as she stretched out on Wade's sofa. _This is my home for now._ She eyed the minimalist-style living room while Wade was in the kitchen helping himself to a glass of water. At his insistence, she had fed on a few rabbits earlier, so her hunger was temporarily sated, and she had also changed into one of his old, comfortable T-shirts. It doubled as a dress on her small frame. For now, at least, she could pretend to be a normal human being again-

"You never told me how your evening went."

Melina sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as if to protect herself from the Brit's penetrating gaze. Wade's innocent question had shattered her peaceful moment and put her in a terrible position. She hated to lie to the man who had gone out of his way to protect and shelter her, but she was also afraid to cause trouble for the rest of the pack. In the end, the possibility of retaliation made her decision easy.

"Fine. It was…fine," she bluffed after a moment's hesitation.

Wade settled into his chair, propping his long legs on the edge of the coffee table. Although he looked casual enough, his features turned to stone.

"You're lying to me, Melina. I want the truth."

Melina briefly considered trying the mind control thing on him, but, knowing her luck, it wouldn't be effective on werewolves.

"They didn't exactly welcome me with open arms," she admitted with great reluctance, "but they weren't rude to me, either. Except…" The last word died on her lips. If she named David as the culprit, Wade would punish him and David would go out of his way to make her miserable. Then again, hadn't he already done that _without _being provoked?

"Except for David Otunga," Wade finished for her, causing Melina's jaw to nearly hit the floor.

It took her a few seconds to recover from the shock. "Yeah. He's…uh…" She mulled over the possible words to describe him and could think of very few that didn't fall into the four-letter category.

"An asshole? A bastard? An arrogant son of a bitch?" Wade supplied, clearly amused by Melina's reluctance to badmouth one of his pack members.

This time, she was unable to form a remotely coherent response and simply stared at him.

Wade let out a short, humorless laugh. "He's all of those things and then some. I've known that for years." He paused. "I'm sure he'd say the same about me."

"But…Why do you keep him around if you hate him so much?"

He shrugged. "We have an understanding. David knows that it's better to be in Nexus than against us and I believe that Nexus benefits from having an extra pack member."

Although Melina was still listening, something on the coffee table caught her eye. It was a small pile of unopened mail-bills, probably. Actually, what intrigued her most was the name visible through a window in the top envelope.

"Stuart…Bennett?" she blurted out, holding up the envelope before letting it flutter back into place.

"My birth name," Wade explained. He looked almost embarrassed. "I never did care for it, so I chose a new name after I turned. It helped make the transition from human to werewolf easier. When I formed Nexus, I asked that the rest of the pack do the same."

"And they did?" Melina was jolted by an unexpected pang of anxiety. David's words had unexpectedly come back to haunt her: _He's not the saint you think he is._ If Wade-no, _Stuart_-had lied about his name, what else was he keeping a secret from her?

Shadows crept across his face. "For the most part, yes. I let Slater keep his first name, but Otunga…refused altogether." Melina noted that Wade's hands had curled into fists, although it seemed to be a subconscious action on his part. After a moment, he relaxed and added with a smile, "I'd like it if you would continue to call me Wade."

She nodded. "Of course."

He abruptly changed subjects again. "You know, you still haven't told me what he said to upset you."

_To hell with David Otunga!_ Melina thought with a sudden burst of anger. "He said you're just using me and you only want me around for sex."

"I see." Wade's tone was calm and measured-eerily so. "And what do _you _think, Melina?"

"I think-no, I _know_-that he's a liar," she insisted with passion. "He just hates me and wants to drive me away."

Wade's fingers drummed a tattoo into the chair's arm. "It's time that David Otunga learned a lesson in respect. I can't force him to like you, of course, but I _can_ make him keep his mouth shut.

"Now, as far as his accusations go, you have nothing to fear." His expression softened and the violent undertone disappeared from his voice. "Although I certainly wouldn't object to being more than just friends, I would never pursue a relationship without your consent-let alone treat you the way _he_ implies." He reached over, took her hand, and gently brushed it with his lips, causing a delicious shiver to course through her body.

Melina tried to talk sense into herself. After all, she was still getting to know Wade. She also wasn't ready to get involved with another man so soon after John had broken her heart and Randy had viciously assaulted her.

But that didn't stop her from entertaining the possibility.

* * *

"Heath! Hey!" PJ brushed his bangs away from his eyes and put down the hand weights he'd been lifting as soon as he noticed the other man coming his way. If anyone could shed some light on the mystery of Nexus, it was Heath.

"Hey, PJ." Heath grinned back at him. PJ often worked out during the same hours Heath was employed at the gym and the two had become good friends over time. He handed the dark-haired man a towel, which he used to blot his sweat-soaked hair and neck.

"You remember Wade, right?"

Heath nodded slowly. "Yeah, of course. Why?"

PJ rolled his eyes. "He wants me to join some group of his called Nexus. I just wondered if you knew anything about it. Wade won't tell me a thing."

His friend's reaction filled PJ with a mixture of interest and alarm. He watched the redhead's fair skin drain of its remaining color and his dark eyes widen.

"N-Nexus?" he stammered. "Um, I've heard Wade mention it once or twice, but I don't know much. Sorry."

PJ shook his head and laughed. "You're a terrible liar, Heath."

"I swear I don't know anything!" he insisted, putting his hands up in a gesture of innocence. "Honest. But it's kind of weird, you know? I thought you guys didn't hang out together."

"Believe me, we don't." He was firmly convinced that Heath knew more than he was letting on, but the younger man was clearly too scared to open up. Perhaps he would never find out what Nexus was all about. That was just fine with PJ, since he had no intention of joining, but he couldn't help being curious nonetheless.

Heath shrugged. "As far as joining Nexus goes…It's your call, man. Just be careful, okay? You don't want Wade Barrett for an enemy."

"I don't want him for a friend, either." The wrestler reached for his weights again, then hesitated. "What would you do if you were in my shoes?" He'd already made up his mind, of course, but he welcomed a second opinion.

The other man sighed heavily, and PJ could have sworn he saw a hint of sadness etched across his features. "Personally? I'd stay the hell away from him."

Another grin lit up PJ's face in spite of Heath's expression. "Great minds think alike, apparently."

* * *

Randy's mother died shortly before he did. Having already made plans to join Maryse in eternity, he was amused to discover that his mother had left him part of her silverware set in her will. Perhaps she had hoped for him to meet a nice woman, have a family, and set down to meals with the wife and kids on the Orton ranch he would inherit one day.

Instead, he ran off with Maryse, became a vampire, and hauled the then-useless silverware around the world with him. Tonight was the first time it had crossed his mind when he wasn't packing up to move.

It was extremely old, yes, but the pieces were pure silver and could easily be melted into bullets to use with his extensive gun collection. Smirking, Randy ran his finger along the serrated edge of a knife. With his shooting skills and otherworldly reflexes, he only needed six bullets to take out Nexus, but he planned on putting more than that number of holes in Wade Barrett alone…

The sound of loud, hurried footsteps on the stairs snapped him out of his revenge fantasy. Annoyed, he slammed the drawer shut and turned slowly until he faced the hysterical brunette waiting in the kitchen doorway. Her name was Lila or Lily or something along those lines-not that it mattered. He was dismayed to see that she was clothed again, although, as shredded as her skirt and top were, not everything was left to the imagination.

"What the _hell_ did you _do_ to me?" she demanded in a shrill British accent. "There's _blood everywhere _and I-I have _bite marks _on my-" Something finally clicked in her alcohol-soaked brain and she swayed uneasily. Her large brown eyes brimmed with tears and she clutched at her wounded throat. "Oh, my God! You're a…a…"

"Vampire." Less than a second later, Randy was standing in front of her with his hands around her neck. "And you, my dear, are dead," he growled, giving her neck a sharp twist and allowing her body to collapse at his feet.

He realized then that the act of killing no longer brought him as much pleasure as it used to…

_"Do you think she's…pretty?" Maryse asked in her thick French-Canadian accent, twirling a strand of blonde hair around a perfectly manicured finger._

_"Why? Are you jealous?" Randy glanced down at the redhead passed out on the bed. Her long hair just about covered the bruises and multiple bite marks on her throat. She _was _attractive, he supposed-for a human. No mortal could ever compare to the supernatural goddess known as Maryse._

_Maryse pouted. "A little. I'd feel better if she didn't look so damn beautiful in death." _

_Randy raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you have in mind?"_

_"Put her in the bathtub and we'll have a knife-throwing contest," she whispered in his ear. It took all of Randy's self-control not to shove the redhead off the bed and take Maryse right then and there. _

That was the missing link. Although Randy had a well-deserved reputation for being antisocial, there had been something incredibly erotic in torturing and killing his prey with the assistance of a woman who shared the same twisted desires.

He looked forward to teaching Melina the joys of doing just that.


	6. Death is a Bitch

As always, thank you to my wonderful readers and reviewers!

* * *

_She knew she should stop, but she couldn't. She didn't _want_ to. The man was going to die and she didn't give a damn, because the taste of his blood was so intoxicating…_

Melina's eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright. It took her a minute or so to realize that she'd been dreaming and had just woken up tangled in her sheets during the middle of the night.

_What a crazy dream! _she thought, shaking her head as if to chase away the memories of her nightmare. Even though vampires didn't exist, the dream felt so _real_. She could have sworn she could almost taste the man's blood on her lips…

Shuddering, Melina reached over to wake up John-only to realize she was all alone. Was he on tour? Why couldn't she remember? Frowning, she glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand. To her surprise, it was just past seven in the morning. Although she probably needed more sleep, she was afraid to go back to bed, so she reached for the lamp that was outlined by the glowing numbers on the alarm clock.

_This isn't my bedroom..._

Melina silently-and with mounting tension-read a note she found next to the lamp. It was addressed to her and indicated that the author was at work and had left a few bottles of blood in the refrigerator in case she got "hungry" during the day. Someone named Wade had signed it.

"No," she whispered, as the repressed memories hit her like bullets. "No, no, no…" Hesitantly, Melina touched one of her canine teeth, which then sharpened and lunged forward to prick her finger. Now that her worst fears were confirmed, she began to giggle hysterically. Her giggles soon give way to uncontrollable sobs that wracked her entire body.

She was forced to set aside her grief and adopt a businesslike attitude in order to get through her first night as a vampire. Wade's stories had also provided a much-needed diversion. Now, however, she was alone with her thoughts and found herself with a hell of a lot of reasons to grieve.

John's infidelity and their subsequent breakup had been devastating, but they were minor tragedies compared to what Randy had done to her. In a matter of minutes, he had stolen Melina's family, friends, future, and, worst of all, her humanity. And, as if _that_ wasn't punishment enough, the monster was still out there, plotting to get her back so she could be his eternal sex slave.

If Wade hadn't taken her under his wing, she would have been seriously tempted to walk into the sunlight and let it reduce her to a pile of ashes. With the exception of Randy, no one else would miss her. She would go down in history as a missing person, presumed the victim of foul play, and her loved ones would eventually give up hope of ever finding her. Then they, too, would die-and she wouldn't even get to see them in the afterlife.

Melina cried until she ran out of tears. Perhaps hours had passed…Perhaps only minutes. She didn't bother to glance at the alarm clock as she left the room and proceeded through the apartment to the kitchen, careful to watch for sunlight that might be streaming through an unprotected sliver of windowpane. Fortunately, Wade had done a thorough job of covering every window with dark curtains and she had nothing to fear.

The refrigerator was stocked with delicious food that would have been mouth-watering under any other circumstances. Actually, the blood pooling at the bottom of a few packages of ground beef was appealing, but it wasn't meant for her. She soon discovered three water bottles filled with blood, and she gratefully took a swig from one of them.

Making a face, Melina considered rummaging through the cupboards for a mug and dashing over to the microwave, but she was too impatient and unexpectedly desperate for more. She downed the rest in a few gulps before grabbing the remaining blood from the refrigerator. It was from an animal, lacking the full-bodied flavor that made human blood so tantalizing-being ice cold probably didn't help, either-but it was better than nothing.

An older vampire with better self-control would have rationed the supply throughout the day. But, since Melina was a newborn and unable to handle her bloodlust, she promptly drained the contents of the last two bottles. She then remembered the meat packages and ripped those open to suck the blood off of the Styrofoam.

The vampire managed to stand long enough to find some storage containers for the beef and return it to the refrigerator before collapsing to the floor in shame. She _hated_ this insatiable craving for human blood-and she had grave doubts that she could exist on the animal diet. Melina wanted to do the right thing, of course, but the high she got from feeding off a human made it damn near impossible…

_Is this what you go through every full moon, Wade? _she wondered. _Do you lose control like this? _But, for all their similarities, werewolves and vampires were still two different species. She desperately needed another vampire to reassure her that she would eventually learn to control her urges and wouldn't become a bloodsucking serial killer.

Melina reluctantly returned to bed and crawled under the covers, intending to sleep away the rest of the day.

She tried to console herself with the knowledge that human beings were safe from her-and she was safe from Randy-as long as the sun was out.

She didn't want to think about the horrors that awaited the world come nightfall.

* * *

"What the hell, man?" David yelped. He spat a mouthful of blood into the kitchen sink before gingerly placing his hand to his swollen lip and confronting his pack leader. "I didn't do nothing!"

"I don't appreciate you revealing my intentions to Melina," Wade growled, taking a step forward, which caused David to stumble backward. The Brit caught hold of David's shirt collar and twisted it until the latter nearly gasped for air.

"The girl's trouble, Wade, and you know it!" David choked out as he tried unsuccessfully to loosen Wade's grip on his clothing. "Me, I've got a woman already, but the others are gonna get jealous of you keeping that vampire all to yourself-"

"We've gone over this a million times," Wade muttered. Otunga, apparently, was the only one who didn't get the message. Did he have to literally pound it into his thick skull? "There are certain rules that apply to the rest of the pack but not the alpha. Melina is _mine_ and _anyone_ who tries to steal her from me or destroy our…relationship will be banished from Nexus." He raised his free hand as if to deliver another backhanded slap to the other werewolf, who visibly flinched. "You don't want to become my enemy, do you, David?"

"No, of course not! But, Wade, I-"

"Shut up." Those two simple words, delivered with quiet menace, were surprisingly more effective at silencing David Otunga than an hour of yelling or beating him to a bloody pulp. "If you have any brains at all in that big head of yours you'll mind your own business from now on and leave Melina alone. Understood?"

David gulped and nodded. Wade relinquished his hold on the other man's collar, gave him a forgiving smile-and punched him in the nose. His cry of pain was music to Wade's ears.

"Say hello to Jennifer and David Junior for me," he called over his shoulder as he exited the mansion David shared with his rich fiancée and their young son.

* * *

They couldn't see her right now, but, if they could, the men on the street would bow to her beauty-and the women would be green with envy.

That was the delightful thing about being a ghost: No one saw you unless you _wanted_ them to see you. Maryse had also learned long ago that, while many humans lacked the necessary spiritual disposition to see ghosts, vampires seemed to possess the ability naturally. She supposed it had something to do with death being part of the turning process.

For that reason, Maryse had been especially careful to make herself invisible in Randy's presence. It had mostly been a waste of her time, because he had become locked into a boring routine over the thirty-something years since he drove a stake through his lover's heart. Seduce, fuck, feed, kill…Things were so much more interesting when they were together. Nothing had turned either of them on quite like torturing their victims as a pair before finishing them off.

She'd been content to allow Randy wallow in his own misery, even when he went through a phase of abducting blondes who resembled her, until she recently checked in on him and caught him in the act of turning a Latina woman. He had never turned _anyone_ until then-and he was looking at that bitch with the passion and lust he had once reserved for her alone.

Maryse had been replaced. So much for Randy's promise that he could never love anyone else.

She stopped in front of the newspaper box and removed a copy of _The Tampa Tribune, _then walked to a nearby coffee shop. Due to the heat, none of the tables outdoors were occupied, so she took a seat at one of them and began scanning the paper. She was vaguely aware that passerby were staring in her direction, watching what appeared to be a newspaper moving of its own accord on a windless day, but her attention was on the task at hand.

It didn't take long to find what she was looking for. The article, accompanied by a picture of the missing woman, was on the fourth page of the main section.

_Rock star's girlfriend vanishes in Tampa, _the headline screamed. That caused Maryse's eyebrows to shoot up. She read the rest of the article with great interest:

_Melina Perez flew from her hometown of Los Angeles to Tampa four days ago to visit her boyfriend, Starship Pain singer John "Morrison" Hennigan, while he was on tour. The surprise visit turned into a disaster when the two got into an argument backstage and Perez, 31, stormed off shortly before midnight. That was the last known sighting of her. She was scheduled to return to Los Angeles this morning but never made her flight._

"_I just want to know what happened to her," Hennigan said when pressed for a comment. "I hope and pray that Melina will come home safely."_

_Hennigan is not considered a suspect in Perez's disappearance._

Maryse folded the paper and shoved it across the table in annoyance. _This _was who Randy chose to take her place? Some rock star's favorite groupie?

It was official: Randy was just as stupid and gullible as any human man, except he was ruled by his dick _and_ his fangs. Well, he could dye Melina's hair blonde, make her speak French to him, and fuck her senseless, but he'd soon tire of her when he realized that she would never, ever be Maryse Ouellet.

The blonde had been relieved when Melina was abducted by that British werewolf and his pack. But Maryse knew that Randy would never give up on making that bitch his, and, if he somehow got through or past the werewolves…Well, both he and Melina would find out that the ghost of a scorned woman was the most dangerous enemy of all.

Having discovered the mystery woman's identity, Maryse decided to see what Randy was up to. He might be asleep, although she sensed he was up and about. Vampires didn't need to sleep, but it certainly helped pass the time between sunrise and sunset.

The next thing she knew, she was standing in Randy's living room. He was seated on the sofa, his back to her. She quickly made herself invisible and moved in front of him. He was clearly absorbed in his own thoughts-so much so that she could probably set him on fire and he wouldn't even notice.

_Probably coming up with a plan to get that slut back, _she thought bitterly. Well, Randy wasn't the only one who had a plan. As far as Maryse was concerned, he had forfeited his right to happiness the moment he drove a stake through her heart, and she vowed to do anything and everything in her power to prevent a reunion with Melina-even if it resulted in Randy's death.

"You'll never replace me," she purred, leaning in close to his face to deliver her message. Anyone else might have jumped or shouted in response, but Randy had never been one to show fear. Instead, his muscles tensed and his eyes widened slightly. Maryse couldn't decide whether he was in shock or he had been waiting for her return all these years. He tilted his head upward, blindly searching for the source of the familiar voice, and she gently pressed her lips to his. The kiss only lasted a second, though, because it had awakened feelings within her that had been dead nearly as long as she had.

Tragically, the same violent intensity that had brought them together and bound them as soul mates had been responsible for her death at his hands.

And, if Randy didn't lose his obsession with that slut Melina, it would be the cause of his own downfall.


	7. Haunted by the Past

Thanks as always for the reviews and for reading!

* * *

Randy slowly traced the outline of his lips with one finger. It was easier to believe he'd received a hangover from feeding off that drunk brunette last night than to believe Maryse had comeback from the dead to fuck with him after thirty-four years.

The problem was, he'd recognize that accent anywhere. And who else would tell him he could never replace her?

Randy shook his head a few times as if to wipe all traces of Maryse from his memory. The ghost theory was bullshit, of course. Thinking about Melina and all the things he intended to do to her had simply stirred up buried memories.

Besides, he had always been a bit…unstable, even before he was turned. He supposed hearing Maryse's voice in his head was yet another symptom of some undiagnosed mental illness, along with violent outbursts and lack of empathy.

His hallucination had been surprisingly accurate. It was just like Maryse to demand something she was incapable of…

"_That's a nice necklace."_

"_Thank you." Maryse's back was turned to Randy, although his reflection was visible in the mirror attached to her vanity. Her attention shifted downward to a container of black liquid eyeliner, which she used to carefully line her blue-shadowed lids._

"_Is that real gold? It looks expensive," Randy murmured, his smooth tone masking the violent turbulence swirling just below the surface. He had never even been _tempted_ to cheat on Maryse. She was everything he could ever want in a woman. _

_He had put her on a pedestal, and she, in return, had rewarded his devotion by squishing him under her shoe like a fucking cockroach._

"_Since when do you care about jewelry?" the blonde replied with a forced laugh. She continued to busy herself with applying her eye makeup and traded the liner for mascara. Randy suspected this was because she would betray her guilt if she dared to look him in the eye._

"_I could never afford something like that," he continued. Now he stood behind her chair, resting his hands on her shoulders. Maryse's body tensed slightly under his grip. "Who gave it to you?"_

"_I…don't remember. I think I stole it from one of our victims-Oh!" Her voice rose as Randy, in one swift movement, yanked the chain from around her neck. _

"_You're a terrible liar, Maryse." He dangled the gold chain and pendant under his nose. "I can smell _him_ on this thing. His hands were all over it-and, I'm sure, all over you." _

_Randy's muscles trembled with barely-concealed anger._

_Maryse spun around and glared at him. "What? You're crazy!"_

_He shrugged. "Maybe. Then again, I didn't cheat on a homicidal vampire with some pathetic human."_

_She raged at him in her native French, although she managed to slip a few English words and phrases into her tirade. From what little Randy understood, he concluded that Maryse thought he was a hypocrite for bringing women home and not allowing her to have a "toy" of her own. _

"_Teddy means nothing to me!" Maryse added, switching back to English. Randy could tell from her anguished expression that she had given up on trying to prove her innocence. "I'm just using him because he's rich! He buys me clothes and jewelry." She jumped up and wrapped her arms around him. "I love _you_, Randy. Not Teddy." _

Teddy. _The nickname was too intimate for Randy's comfort. He had a mental image of Maryse in _their _bed with some human playboy, moaning and screaming his name. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain._

"_I'll prove it," Maryse whispered. Randy could feel her hands caress his face and her tongue slip into his mouth, but both his heart and his body seemed to be encased within a block of ice. For over a century, he had only looked at Maryse with lust and, if not love, something close to it._

_Now he hated her. No, he _despised _the bitch._

_Randy became an actor, mechanically playing a part he didn't want but was destined to have. He pulled back after a particularly intense kiss and regarded the female vampire with a smirk._

_Maryse had to pay for her sins._

"_Damn it, Maryse. You know I can't resist you."_

"_I know." She looked so smug-so assured of his addiction to her-at that moment that Randy wanted to break her perfect jaw. Instead, he crushed his lips against hers and carried her to the bed._

_He positioned his body over hers and they continued to kiss. Maryse blissfully closed her eyes, much to Randy's relief. Only an idiot would try to overpower a vampire two hundred years their senior. He was counting on the element of surprise._

_Randy quickly scanned the nightstand to his right for a suitable weapon. Wood. It had to be wood…He ended up snapping off the edge of the tabletop, which came apart as easily as a sheet of paper. Maryse's eyelids fluttered at the noise, but he slipped his free hand under her skintight gold dress and she moaned instead._

_Without hesitation, he pierced his maker's heart with the splintered end of the impromptu stake. _

_Randy wasn't sure what to expect. He'd never killed a vampire before-only mortals. It turned out that there wasn't enough time left for Maryse to scream or shed tears or grab the stake in a desperate effort to save herself. Instead, she sought out Randy's face as she stiffened into her final pose. Her mouth hung open like that of a hungry goldfish and a glassy film preserved the shock emanating from her hazel orbs._

_He ripped the stake out and got off the bed, intending to dispose of the body, but nature took care of that. The thing that had been Maryse crumbled right before his eyes._

_As he stared at the piles of ashes, reality set in like a punch to the gut. Maryse was dead-and he had murdered her._

_But the Maryse he killed wasn't _his _Maryse. No, these ashes were all that remained of the selfish bitch who had lied to, betrayed, and used him. She _deserved_ to die. _

Randy would remind himself of Maryse's infidelity over and over again in the years that passed. Still, he couldn't deny that the backstabbing slut's absence left a hole in his heart that nothing-except, perhaps, Melina-could fill.

If Randy was being haunted, it was by the past, not some jealous ex who couldn't accept that he was ready to move on.

To prove it, he called out, "Go ahead, Maryse. Do your worst. Break a few light bulbs or throw things or whatever the hell you…spirits do."

He waited-and waited-but nothing happened.

* * *

"Rough day?"

"You could say that again," Melina agreed wearily. She was so relieved to see Wade that she wanted to throw herself into his arms the second he walked through the door. Instead, she gave him a restrained smile.

"I take it you found the note I left for you."

She nodded sheepishly. "Thanks. Um, yeah, about that…If you're looking for the ground beef I put it in a plastic container."

He looked puzzled. "Why would you…Oh. You drank the blood, didn't you?"

"That was after I finished all three bottles," she confessed, unable to meet his eyes. She was starting to feel like an alcoholic or drug addict.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Melina." He reached out and lightly rested a hand on her shoulder. "You've only been a vampire for about twenty-four hours, remember?"

"I know." She bit down on her lip and winced, forgetting how sharp her new teeth were. "Maybe I'd feel better if I could talk to another vampire," she hinted.

Wade studied her for a long moment before breaking into a smile. "What a coincidence. It just so happens that one of my best mates has been a vampire since the eighteenth century."

Perfect. Melina couldn't believe her luck. "Could you call him for me, please? Or send him an e-mail?" Now she understood why Wade seemed to know as much about vampires as he did his own species. She hated to ask of favor of him after everything he'd already done for her, but this might be her only chance to ask someone who'd struggled with the exact same issues.

"I've got a better idea. How would you like to visit with him? He lives"-Wade quickly corrected himself-"Well, let's just stay that he's staying in Tampa for awhile."

"I'd _love_ that!" Melina exclaimed, aware that her reaction was similar to that of a child opening Christmas presents. Wade took her enthusiasm in stride. He acted as if she hadn't just shrieked in his ear and calmly removed a cell phone from his jeans pocket.

With her heightened senses, it was impossible for Melina to avoid eavesdropping on Wade's conversation with Drew. The voice that answered spoke with a thick accent different from Wade's-Scottish, maybe. From the sound of their banter, Drew was delighted to hear from his old friend and eager to meet Melina.

After a few minutes, Wade snapped the phone shut and glanced at her. "I suppose you heard his answer."

"Yes." Her relief smothered the pointless shame she felt over listening in to the phone call. "Oh, thank you, Wade! You have no idea how much this means to me-"

"Actually, I think I do." Wade's charming smile never left his face, but his eyes briefly darkened as if he were reliving a painful memory. "Here." He thrust two shopping bags into a startled Melina's arms. She had been so focused on her mission that she hadn't even noticed the bags. "I thought you might like something to wear besides my old clothes."

Melina peeked at the contents of the bags and found herself overcome with emotion. John was never this thoughtful. He'd rather hand his credit card to her and say, "Here, babe. Go buy yourself something pretty."

"Thank you. I'll go change right now." Melina gave Wade a grateful look before hurrying off to the bathroom. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror was startling-contrary to popular myths, she did indeed have a reflection and, fangs aside, her appearance hadn't changed at all. She was also surprised to find a few cosmetics mixed in with the clothing. As she dressed, she wondered if he had consulted a female friend about his purchases.

She realized then how little she knew about him. For all she knew, he might have raided the closet of his _girlfriend_…No, that didn't seem right. Wade wouldn't have let Melina move in and choose to spend most of his free time with her if he was involved with someone. He was too much of a gentleman.

With John, she had sometimes felt more like an accessory than his girlfriend-a beautiful possession to show off at parties and awards shows. It was refreshing to be treated like an important individual by Wade.

After putting together an outfit, she applied two coats of mascara, eyeliner, some blush, and a bit of clear gloss to her lips. A smile hesitantly made its way across her face.

Melina had been relieved to discover that she still looked human as long as her fangs stayed hidden. And, with Drew's help, she might be able to _feel_ more human, too.

* * *

PJ's English language dictionary defined "nexus" as a "connected group or series," which, of course, didn't explain much of anything. Although his first language was Afrikaans, he spoke English fluently, yet he'd never come across the word before. He guessed it wasn't used much in every day conversation.

With a shrug, he returned the book to the shelf and put on a CD by Prime Circle, one of his favorite bands from back home. Then he poured himself a glass of water, threw in a few ice cubes, and turned on his laptop. It was silly, looking for information on Wade's group when he himself had been so secretive, but he hoped one of the other members might have slipped up and posted something online.

Google, however, overwhelmed him with the sheer amount of irrelevant information. The term referred to anything to a line of hair products-spelled with an extra "x"-to an electronics manufacturer to a role-playing game. He couldn't seem to find anything about Wade's organization.

He could probably spend all night combing through the search results without discovering anything new.

Frustrated, PJ shut everything down and left the now-closed laptop on the coffee table. After Wade brought up Nexus, PJ had vowed that he'd put the subject out of his mind until the Brit demanded a final answer from him. That was before he'd gotten an opportunity to question Heath, though-and, after seeing the redhead's horror-stricken face, he couldn't stop thinking about Nexus.

Although nothing could ever persuade him to join, he couldn't help but be intrigued by the concept of a mysterious secret organization. It sounded like something out of a movie..

PJ's musings were interrupted by the sharp jangle of a ringing phone. Frowning, he glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. Eight twenty-two. The only calls he received on the landline phone at this time of night were usually telemarketers. People he knew personally tended to call his cell phone instead. Nonetheless, he paused the CD player and trudged dutifully to the counter to check Caller ID.

"'Restricted'?" he read out loud. Curiosity soon turned to annoyance when the phone continued to ring-and ring. Although he was tempted to just shut the ringer off or unplug the whole thing, something compelled him to pick up the receiver instead.

"Hello?" He tried to be polite, but he was unable to keep the aggravation from seeping into his tone.

"You're in danger, Lloyd." The hushed voice that answered was male and sounded American. PJ sensed that the caller was nervous and in a hurry to deliver his message.

"Who _are_ you?" he demanded.

"I'm the one who got away…from Nexus."

"_What_?" PJ gasped. His knees suddenly turned to jelly and he gripped the edge of the counter to brace himself against the inevitable fall. "What do you mean, 'got away'?"

"Wade asked me to join, just like you. I went to one of their meetings…When I discovered the truth, I tried to back out, but…" He paused, and PJ heard a sharp intake of breath. "They attacked me and left me for dead."

"Oh, God..." Whoever this person was, PJ knew he was telling the truth. No one seemed to know anything about Nexus except those involved with it. Also, the fear in the other man's voice traveled clearly over the line.

"Get out of Florida while you still can. Change your name and appearance and keep a low profile."

"And if I don't?" The wrestler could barely force the words out of his dry mouth.

"They'll either force you to join them or kill you to protect their secret. Trust me, PJ: Dying is a better fate than becoming part of Nexus."

"Please…Tell me what Nexus is," PJ begged, but the only response he received came in the form of a dial tone. Trembling, he put the receiver down. His knuckles had turned white from using the counter to support his weight, and he struggled to make the short trip to the kitchen table.

_I've heard that voice before, _he realized, but he couldn't match a face to it. Maybe they mystery caller was someone in the wrestling industry. That would explain the connection to Wade and why he called PJ by his nickname instead of Paul. Then again, the man might be someone who worked at the gym, or a doctor who'd treated both of their injuries…

He rubbed his hands over his bare arms and shivered. The apartment was stuffy and the air conditioning was probably due to kick in at any minute, but PJ felt chilled to the bone.

Wade Barrett was cold, arrogant, selfish, power-hungry…But was he capable of murder?

Then again, after losing his father, PJ knew better than anyone how quickly a heated situation could escalate into a tragedy. He also knew that some people would do _anything_ to keep a secret if it was important enough.

The South African high flyer had never let fear stop him from living his life exactly the way he wanted to. Yes, there was always the chance that he could get injured-or worse-pursuing an adrenaline rush, but using common sense and taking the necessary precautions greatly reduced the risks. As long as he avoided Wade, he saw no reason why he couldn't continue living and wrestling in Florida. Besides, Wade would soon realize that PJ wasn't interested in joining his gang or cult or whatever Nexus was and find someone else to recruit…

Later that night, just before going to bed, PJ literally prayed for that outcome.

* * *

"How do I look?"

Wade struggled to come up with an appropriate response. Melina was a knockout in anything-and in nothing, he was certain. Although she had chosen a simple red tank top and jeans, the clothes hugged her curves perfectly and caused Wade's mind to wander. He was afraid of saying something stupid and undoing all of the hard work he'd put into crafting his gentlemanly image.

"Very nice," he said at last, which seemed to please her.

Both Melina and Wade faced the window at the exact moment Drew's car turned onto the street and into the parking lot. Their gazes then shifted to the front door as they heard footsteps-accompanied by a single heartbeat-and waited for the doorbell to ring.

"He brought a _human _with him?" Melina's voice rose shrilly on the word "human".

"Relax, love." Wade's hand found hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. He couldn't believe he had somehow forgotten about Drew's girlfriend. The two were practically attached at the hip. "I won't let you do anything you'll regret."

Melina nodded, although the anxiety was written all over her face, and waited at a respectful distance while Wade answered the door.

"Hello, dog," Drew Galloway greeted him with a smirk. He had dressed up for the occasion in a royal blue button-down shirt that matched his eyes and black slacks. His long, chestnut brown hair was slicked back into a ponytail. Next to him stood a blonde in a lavender dress with a smile that belonged in a toothpaste commercial.

"Long time no see, bloodsucker," Wade responded, breaking into a grin. Drew, along with their mutual friend Stephen "Sheamus" Farrelly, was one of two men he considered a brother. The pack, on the other hand, existed only to do his bidding. He then greeted the young woman who'd picked out Melina's new wardrobe. "Hello, Taryn. Come on in." He hastily ushered them into the hallway. When he shut the door behind them, it made a strangely ominous sound, as if condemning those in the apartment to a grim fate.

Drew's smirk widened as he caught a glimpse of Melina. If anyone else had eyed her that way, Wade would have growled a warning, but Drew was a harmless-and shameless-flirt who was devoted to Taryn.

Melina, however, paid no attention to Drew. She was frozen in place, doing her best imitation of a statue. Her lips were parted slightly, exposing her fangs, and her predatory gaze was locked on the blonde's delicate throat.


	8. We Are Not One

Thanks again to my readers and reviewers, especially caitlinbaby for helping me with this chapter. Oh, and VegasxHoneyDust-there's a lot more Drew in this one!

* * *

Wade moved swiftly, placing himself in between Melina and his visiting friends and wrapping an arm securely around the female vampire's waist. His touch seemed to snap her out of her trance and, eyes downcast, she reluctantly allowed herself to be guided away from her potential prey.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she whispered after everyone was seated. Wade, who was sitting next to her, was tempted to roll his eyes. Taryn was never in any danger. She was protected by both a vampire and a werewolf, for God's sake! He wondered how he could get Melina to come to terms with who and especially what she had turned into.

"It's okay," Taryn piped up before anyone else could speak. Her smile had never quite faded. She had been safely perched on the arm of Drew's chair, but now she stood and attempted to walk directly towards her would-be attacker.

"Taryn…" Drew laid a restraining hand on her arm, but she shook it off. The two seemed to have a brief, silent argument using their eyes, which Drew apparently lost. He relented with a frown and moved to the edge of his seat, muscles tense.

"Here." Taryn held out her wrist to Melina, who shook her head repeatedly.

"No. I couldn't…It wouldn't be right." But, even as she protested, she was studying the tiny map of veins with great interest.

"It's all right. I insist." In spite of her calm exterior, Wade could hear the blonde's heart rapidly fluttering in an oddly birdlike manner. "You must be hungry."

"I am," Melina agreed, and, after receiving a stiff nod of permission from Drew, clamped down. To her credit, Taryn barely flinched at the pain. Her eyes drifted shut and a soft moan slipped through her lips.

Wade recalled Drew's confession shortly after he'd started courting Taryn: _She's one of those animal rights activists. She'd rather I feed off her than kill an animal. Oh, she likes it for other reasons, of course, but…You'd never know it just by looking at her, would you? _The werewolf couldn't help but wonder just where all those bite marks and bruises were hidden…

"All right, that's enough," Wade declared, having noticed that Taryn's face had gone a bit pale and she swayed slightly. He gave Melina's arm a hard squeeze when she ignored him, which startled her into obedience. She quickly wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and murmured an embarrassed thank you to the other woman.

Drew pulled Taryn back to her earlier position on the chair and kissed her wrist, discreetly removing any evidence of a vampire bite in the process.

"I suppose introductions are in order," the male vampire declared in his thick Scottish accent, acting as if they were merely guests at a dinner party who had just arrived. There wasn't the slightest hint of animosity or even jealousy from him. "I'm Drew Galloway and this is my girlfriend, Taryn Terrell. Melina, right?"

She nodded, shamed into silence. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Wade tells me you're having a hard time adjusting. Anything I can help you with?"

"I feel like I'm going insane," Melina admitted, having found her voice again. "I _want _to live-well, you know what I mean-on animal blood, but I crave human blood no matter how much I drink, and I'm afraid I'm going to lose control and _kill someone_-" She cast a guilty glance at Taryn and shuddered. "Am I always going to be like this?"

"No, not always." Wade watched as a hint of amusement streaked across Drew's face, but then it was gone, quick as a shooting star. "Be patient, Melina. Eventually, you'll be able to go days without blood and become interested in other things again."

_Eventually. _Wade knew that Drew didn't want to frighten Melina with the truth. Drew had once admitted that it took years before his bloodlust was under control. Of course, it didn't help that he used to bring home at least one beautiful young woman every night…

"What about feeding on animal blood?"

Taryn wrinkled her nose slightly but allowed Drew to answer without interruption.

"I'm afraid the craving for human blood never really goes away. Some vampires can fight it and some can't. It depends on your willpower…But don't beat yourself up if you can't do the animal blood thing. Just go to a blood bank or find a willing donor." Drew grinned at Taryn, who beamed back at him. "You'd be surprised how many people would do _anything_ for a vampire without being asked."

Wade observed Melina's reaction to the options she was presented with. Her dark eyes lit up with excitement, but her lips were pressed together thoughtfully.

"And, before you ask, no, werewolf blood won't kill you-but it won't taste very good, either." Drew threw a playful glance in Wade's direction, earning a scowl in response. "And don't worry if you get bitten by one. It might hurt, but you won't die or turn into a werewolf."

_Too bad. _Wade swallowed the bitterness that rose like bile in his throat. He could easily imagine Melina transforming into a beautiful, sleek black wolf every full moon. Damn that bloody bastard Randy Orton for getting to her first!

"The other myths…Are they true? Stakes? Sunlight? Fire?"

"All fatal," Drew confirmed. "Immortality only exists as long as we can avoid those things."

"What about food? Can vampires eat?"

"Don't bother with eating. You'll regret it afterward. Besides, being turned kills the appetite for regular food and drink."

"The mind reading thing?"

Drew shook his head in dismay. "A myth, I'm afraid."

"Crucifixes? Holy water? Garlic?"

He shrugged. "Useless, but they give mortals the illusion of protection."

"Do we show up in photographs?" Melina wondered. "I already know about mirrors."

"I'll answer that one," Taryn volunteered. "Yes, vampires appear in pictures." She giggled. "I've taken some very nice ones of Drew."

Drew smirked. "It helps that I'm so good looking."

That was true enough. Not that Wade lacked for female attention, but whenever he went out in public with Drew and Sheamus it was the Scottish vampire who turned the most heads.

"Not to change the subject or anything, but happy belated birthday, wolf boy. I'll ring Sheamus up and we can celebrate at the pub. Just try not to get yourself arrested this time."

A heavy silence filled the air. Wade could feel Melina's eyes burning a hole through him. Taryn focused her attention elsewhere and Drew seemed to have realized his mistake immediately. He shot an apologetic look at Wade. Normally, the werewolf would have simply laughed off his friend's teasing, but he was concerned about keeping up appearances in front of Melina.

_It could be worse, _he reminded himself. She'd never forgive him if she uncovered any of the countless violent crimes he was guilty of over the years. Fortunately for Wade, he'd taken great pains to ensure that none of his victims would ever come forward.

He decided to go ahead and tell her the truth. It was nothing to be ashamed of, and, besides, she'd just get online the second he left for work and find the real story-along with his less-than-flattering mug shot. Women were nosy like that.

Before he could explain, however, Melina rather tactfully changed the subject.

"When was your birthday?" she asked politely, but it was clear that she was struggling to stay on topic.

"The tenth." Wade had spent his milestone thirtieth birthday keeping watch over Melina, waiting for her to awaken. He wouldn't mind spending a night at the pub with his mates, but having a woman like Melina in his possession was the best gift of all.

She smiled. "I'll have to get you a present-or at least do something nice for you."

"Don't worry about it." Wade tried not to dwell on the nice things she _wouldn't_ be doing for him just yet.

"The full moon's coming up in less than two weeks," Drew reminded him. "I'll stay with Melina if you want. Sheamus and I can take turns."

Wade nodded. "I appreciate that."

"Who's this Sheamus guy you keep talking about?" Melina asked the Scotsman. "Is he a vampire, too?"

Drew shook his head. "No, he's a warlock. A very powerful one from Ireland."

"And a mutual friend," Wade added.

"I'm sure you two will get along just fine." Drew laughed. "Just don't call him a ghost and don't get offended if he calls you 'fella' by mistake."

Wade was forced to hold back his own laughter at Melina's bewildered expression.

She turned to him beseechingly. "Why can't I be with you on the full moon? Not that I'd mind hanging out with Drew or Sheamus," she added hastily.

"Because it's dangerous. In my wolf form, I'm a wild animal unable to think and act like a human. I might hurt you very badly by accident."

"I can relate to that," Melina said quietly. She then folded her hands in her lap and stared at them. Wade would have bet good money that she was remembering her assault on Evan.

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask me, Melina?"

Melina looked up at Drew, and Wade was certain there was something on her mind, but she just shook her head.

Once Drew was assured that he'd answered all of Melina's questions, he was content to stay for awhile and shoot the breeze. Melina seemed to find him charming, and she even managed to make friends with Taryn before the two decided to head home.

As Wade escorted Drew and Taryn out, the vampire added in a low murmur, "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to cause trouble."

"It's all right. Really." Wade dissolved Drew's guilt with a smile and locked the door behind them.

Melina was waiting for him in the hallway, arms crossed. Her face was illuminated with curiosity, yet she seemed afraid to broach the subject.

"I got arrested two years ago," he explained, knowing she'd demand answers sooner or later. "It happened a few nights before the full moon. Keep in mind that werewolves tend to get somewhat…aggressive when our animal sides are about to take over."

She nodded. "Go on."

"I had an argument with a woman at the pub. A man tried to stop me as I was leaving. If I had known he was a police officer-he wasn't wearing a uniform-I wouldn't have walked.

"I don't remember much from that night. Perhaps it was the alcohol…Perhaps it was the moon. Maybe both. I was charged with battery and obstructing an officer, but both charges were later dropped and they released me the next afternoon."

Melina appeared surprised by his revelations. "That's all?"

"That's all." He wondered what she'd been expecting. A murder charge?

"Whatever happened that night…It wasn't your fault. You just lost control. Believe me, I understand what that's like." She paused and looked him right in the eye. "It doesn't change the way I feel about you."

"I'm glad." He was, too. It meant Melina was still firmly under his spell.

"Will you take me hunting? I'm still hungry."

"Of course. Just answer my question first and then we'll go."

She raised an eyebrow.

"What were you going to ask Drew after we talked about the full moon?"

"Nothing." The word came out rushed and Melina averted her gaze.

"I was honest with you about being arrested, Melina. I would appreciate it if you could be honest with me in return."

"Well…" She squirmed like a child in the principal's office. "I was just wondering if…um…if sex is possible for vampires."

Wade had to turn away to hide his smirk. He pretended to double check the lock on the door while he responded.

"According to Drew, it's not only possible but very enjoyable."

"Oh." Wade turned around and watched as first relief, then embarrassment washed over her stunning features. "Well, that's good."

"If you're thinking about contacting an old boyfriend, I would strongly suggest-"

"No." She tossed her head and smiled slightly. "I was just curious."

Another lie. She wasn't quite ready to jump into bed with Wade, but the thought had obviously crossed her mind.

He was willing to wait. At this rate, he was convinced, he wouldn't be waiting more than a few days or a week at most.

* * *

David marched down the sidewalk with his usual swagger, almost grateful to be anonymous in spite of his lust for the spotlight.

Back in California, he was instantly recognized as the significant other of singer-actress Jennifer Hudson. And, in the local werewolf and vampire communities, he enjoyed another kind of notoriety as a member of the Nexus pack.

On the other hand, most _human_ passerby here didn't even give him a second glance. It rankled him a little, but, for the most part, he appreciated being able to go about his business undisturbed.

He shifted his black sunglasses and nodded his head in time to the music blaring through his iPod ear buds as he walked the last three blocks to his destination. He turned off the iPod, jogged up the stairs to the second floor and rang the bell.

_Two down, two to go._

"Damn it, Heath…" he muttered under his breath after he'd pressed the button a third time. It took one more try before the door opened and the redhead's sleepy face appeared through the crack.

"It's my day off!" he whined, blinking rapidly to ward off the bright sunshine. "I was trying to sleep in!"

"Man, it's already ten o'clock! Let me in. This is important."

"It better be…" With a sigh, Heath opened the door just wide enough for the older man to enter. He fumbled with the lock for a moment while David waited impatiently. He noticed that Heath's apartment was still fashioned in the rock star-on-a-budget style that also affected his choice of clothing and hairstyle. "You want some coffee? Or are you all about the champagne and caviar these days?"

"I'm not thirsty," David answered stiffly, "and I'm not a mooch, either."

Heath's expression immediately turned apologetic. "I was just kidding. I know it's hard to find a job these days, and besides…" His jaw suddenly dropped. "Dude, what happened to your face?"

"Wade hit me." David lightly ran his fingers along his own-still tender-jaw. He could taste a faint hint of blood.

"Why?"

"Why do you think? He was protecting his 'girlfriend's' reputation."

"I'll get you some ice." Heath turned abruptly and led the way into the kitchen. David waited at the kitchen table while his fellow pack member filled a plastic sandwich bag with ice cubes and wrapped it in a paper towel.

"Thanks." Werewolves healed quickly, but it took longer to recover from an attack by another of their kind. "Hey, what do you think about Melina?"

"She's…all right, I guess." Heath fidgeted with something in a drawer, either unable or unwilling to make eye contact.

"Come on, Heath. You can trust me. I'm not gonna rat you out to Wade or anything like that." He tried again. "What do you _really_ think of her?"

Heath glanced at him hesitantly. "Promise you won't laugh?"

"I promise."

"Well, I'm kind of scared of her." Blushing, he pulled out a chair next to his fellow pack member and sat down. "Newborn vampires are supposed to be bloodthirsty and psychotic, right?" David nodded in agreement. "I'm afraid she's going to snap one day and rip my throat out."

"The rest of us wouldn't let that happen," David assured him. "But I don't think it's fair that we have to baby-sit her every time Wade wrestles. And what happens when there's a full moon? Is she supposed to run with the pack?" He scowled. "I thought we were werewolves, not guard dogs."

Heath nodded, looking miserable. "You're right. It's not fair, but we don't have a choice. We have to follow Wade's orders."

"Even if it could get us all killed?" As if on cue, Heath's face became an appropriately ghostly shade. "Use your head! Wade stole Randy Orton's rightful property and Randy Orton will do whatever it takes to get Melina back. Our job is to protect her, right? If we die in the line of duty, hey, no problem. Wade can always find someone else to replace us and turn them. It's numbers he needs-not individuals.

"You know, I've been talking to Michael and Skip about this," David continued, sensing that he was close to winning Heath over, "and they're not happy about the situation, either. I'm pretty sure Darren's gonna agree, too. Something has to be done."

"What are you suggesting?" Although Heath was clearly nervous, he leaned forward, eyebrows raised and his expression intense.

A wicked grin spread across David's face. "We're going to get rid of Melina. Are you in?"

Heath gulped. For a long moment, the only sounds audible were the ticking of the kitchen clock, dogs barking, cars zooming by on the streets below, birds singing-and Heath's thumping heart. Finally, he squared his shoulders and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm in. So, what's the plan?"


	9. Change of Plans

Sorry for the delay! Thanks as always for your support and patience. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. :)

* * *

As a human, Melina had often felt that she never had enough time to do everything she needed, let alone wanted, to do.

Now that she was a vampire, she had endless time on her hands-and she was already bored senseless.

She understood that Wade was trying to protect her from Randy, but just a few days and nights of being cooped up in a small apartment-with nightly hunting trips her only escape-had given her terrible cabin fever. Wade made a valiant effort to distract her whenever he was around with tales of England, werewolves, and his pro wrestling ambitions, but she still had a lot of hours to fill.

_I need some hobbies_, she thought in desperation as she faced yet another night in front of the TV. Although Wade had a small television set in the guest bedroom, Melina preferred to camp out in the living room so she wouldn't-she hoped-awaken Wade. With his keen animal senses, he was a light sleeper.

Her own improved senses continued to amaze her. She had quickly discovered that she could hear the TV or radio just fine on the lowest volume setting. Still, she had to fight her instinct to grab the remote and turn up the volume when her ex-boyfriend's picture unexpectedly appeared on the screen.

The words "Rock Star Overdoses" were written underneath his image in big, bold letters.

"_What_?" the vampire gasped.

"Starship Pain singer John Hennigan, also known as John Morrison, was found unconscious in his Los Angeles home around nine p.m. Pacific time," announced a somber male newscaster. "The cause is an apparent drug overdose. Hennigan is in critical condition at a local hospital. The news comes one week after his girlfriend, Melina Perez, disappeared in Tampa. Police are investigating the possibility that Perez may have been murdered…"

"Oh, Johnny…How could you?" Melina whispered. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. John was a cheater and a liar-and, yes, she _had_ briefly entertained the notion of feeding off him-but he didn't deserve to _die_! She wasn't aware that she was crying out loud until Wade poked his head around the corner.

"Melina?" She hastily blotted her tears with a thumb, but it was too late. He'd already noticed the evidence. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up-"

"I don't need much sleep anyway," he confessed with a dismissive wave of the hand. "Now, what's got you so upset?"

"My ex-boyfriend is in the hospital. He overdosed."

"I'm…sorry." There was a pause between the two words, as if Wade wasn't sure he should be offering condolences over a former lover. He sat on Melina's left and put an arm around her shoulder. Melina leaned against his chest. It was a comfortable, natural position. She liked being around a man who made her feel safe and cared for-even if he _was_ just a friend.

"I just saw it on the news," she explained, realizing that Wade probably wondered how she found out. "He's a famous singer. His name is John Hennigan."

"I've heard of him. He's the bloke who looks like Jim Morrison, right?"

She nodded. "I think John blames himself for what happened to me. I can't help but wonder if maybe it was a suicide attempt…

"I-I broke up with him on the night I was…attacked." Her voice cracked as she spoke. All of her pent-up emotions poured out alongside a round of fresh tears. "I caught him with a groupie and I just got so mad that I stormed off, and that was when I met-well, you know."

"He _cheated_ on you?" Melina glanced up at Wade to see him giving her an incredulous look. "Well, that was a bloody stupid thing to do. I don't understand how anyone could treat such a beautiful woman like rubbish."

That brought a temporary smile to her face. "Thanks, Wade. I know I probably shouldn't care, but I still feel terrible about what happened-"

"Why? You've done nothing wrong. Hennigan made some bad choices and now he's paying the consequences." Wade's arm tightened around her. "Everything happens for a reason, Melina. Don't forget that."

_Everything happens for a reason._ Melina knew then that she never would have met Wade if she hadn't dumped John and been turned by Randy. Words couldn't express how grateful she was to Wade for all his kindness. So far, meeting him had been one of the only good things that came out of her transformation into a vampire.

She contemplated what her future with John would had been like and, with a heavy heart, realized that they weren't the soul mates she'd believed they were. They always fought like cats and dogs over John's love of excessive partying. Eventually, he would have made a fatal mistake or she would have packed her bags for good-or both.

"We dated on and off for five years," she confided, clicking the "off" button on the remote control. "Things were great at first, but then John became a stereotypical rock star-drinking, experimenting with drugs, sleeping around. He always lived life to the extreme and I…I just couldn't do it anymore. I knew I couldn't save him, but I didn't want to watch him kill himself, either."

It suddenly dawned on her that she _could_ save him now that she was a vampire. She didn't even have to turn him-giving him some of her blood would be enough to revive him. But John was in a hospital across the country and Melina was officially considered a missing person. His fate was out of her hands.

"That seems a rather sensible decision to me." She smiled again as she felt Wade's hand smooth her hair, which she had styled in loose waves. "You can't live in the past, Melina-and you have no future with John, either. Relationships between humans and vampires always end in tragedy."

"What about Drew and Taryn?" They seemed like the perfect couple. Try as she might, she couldn't imagine Drew hurting the pretty blonde in any way.

"They're the exception to the rule."

To be honest, Melina was more interested in werewolves than humans these days-one in particular. She was tempted to kiss Wade then and there just to see how he reacted, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't want him to get the impression that she was on the rebound and just using him. Instead, she blurted out something that had been worrying her ever since they met.

"What's going to happen to me when you die?" Melina immediately regretted her slip of tongue. Wade didn't need this burden on his shoulders, but she couldn't-as far as she knew-influence him to forget she'd asked the question, either.

Melina had always been one of those strong, independent women who didn't need a man, but the circumstances had changed after she was turned. Wade was now her only friend, not to mention her bodyguard. If Randy managed to kill Wade-or even just waited for him to die of natural causes-she wouldn't be strong enough or fast enough to escape…She was also certain that the rest of the Nexus pack would only protect her as long as their leader was around to enforce orders.

Wade gently pulled away from her and studied her at arm's length. "You have _nothing_ to fear," he said sternly. "Remember the night you awakened? I promised you then that I would find the vampire who turned you and punish him. I know who he is, Melina." He paused, and Melina shivered at menacing look that appeared in his eyes. "His name is Randy Orton-and I'm going to kill him."

_He'd kill for me. He loves-or at least cares for-me enough to murder the bastard who did this. _The thought both thrilled and repulsed her. Wade's dual nature was a source of endless fascination to Melina. He was gentle as a lamb with her, yet he was a wolf-a predator, a killer-at heart. She wondered if her inability to reconcile these traits within him had something to do with her struggle to adjust to her own supernatural condition.

Unable to come up with a response, Melina simply relaxed against his chest again and closed her eyes. She pushed her worries about John and Randy to the back of her mind and instead concentrated on the familiar, steady thumping of Wade's heart. Minutes later, she was lulled into a deep sleep.

For once, she wasn't plagued by the nightmares that had haunted her relentlessly since becoming a vampire.

* * *

"Are you pulling me leg, fella?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Wade stopped pacing up and down Sheamus's front hallway and waited while his friend scrutinized his expression for the slightest hint of humor. Finding none, the warlock shook his head and chuckled. His spiky orange hair remained in place in spite of the movement and his light blue eyes sparkled.

"I always knew you were mad, Wade, but I had no idea you were such a masochist."

"There's nothing masochistic about it," Wade argued. True, he dreaded the excruciating pain every full moon, but the tradeoff was more than worth it. Non-werewolves like Sheamus could never understand just how free and powerful Wade felt in his wolf body. Besides, shape-shifting was said to be nearly effortless. "I signed my death warrant when I took Melina from Randy Orton. I can't afford to wait until the full moon to be at my strongest. He could strike at any time and we-Nexus-need to be able to fight him in our wolf forms."

"Well, I'd hate to have me mate's death on my conscience," Sheamus conceded, "but I can't promise anything."

"Surely, a brilliant warlock like you can manage a simple trick like this..." Wade smiled, thinking that a little flattery could persuade anyone. Still, he envied the vampire species their mind control abilities.

"'A simple trick'?" Sheamus returned the smile. "No offense, Wade, but you're a bit daft when it comes to magic. I've never turned a werewolf into a shape-shifter. I don't even know if it's possible-"

"Just try," Wade pleaded. "I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't important."

"She must be some girl," Sheamus mused, sounding wistful. His fair, freckled skin, naturally ginger hair, and Irish accent attracted many a woman who fancied something a little different, but he still hadn't found "the one".

Wade grinned. "She's all woman, I assure you." He drifted off into a daydream about Melina, imagining her luscious curves sans clothing and the feel of her cool skin gliding against his hot flesh…Sheamus's voice suddenly cut into his fantasy like a knife and snapped Wade back to reality.

"All right. I'll do my best, but don't be surprised if you get some unpleasant side effects."

"That's why I'm going to test it out on another pack member first." _Otunga, _he decided with a smirk. No one would care if he got fucked up or even died as a result-and, if the pill or potion worked, Wade and the others could take it with confidence. It was a win-win situation, as far as he was concerned.

"Wade, you devil." Sheamus laughed softly and shook his head again. "Why am I not surprised?"

Wade laughed, too. If Sheamus managed to pull this off successfully, perhaps he could also come up with a way to change Melina into a werewolf-or at least grant Wade immortality. The possibilities were endless...

* * *

_This will never do, _Maryse decided, shaking her head as she peered over Randy's shoulder at the laptop screen. Now she knew why he got an evil smirk on his face every time he glanced into the silverware drawer.

Well, he might _intend_ to shoot every single member of the Nexus pack, but Maryse was equally determined to ruin his plans.

Seconds later, the laptop went dead. Randy growled in frustration as he tried-repeatedly and without success-to get it working again. All of his search results on how to turn silver items into bullets were gone.

"Oops!" the ghost giggled.

Randy heard her this time. He swiveled around in his chair, eyes flashing with rage, but the enemy was nowhere to be found.

Oh, this was going to be _fun_…

"Do you think this is funny, Maryse?" he seethed. "Is this another one of your games?"

"I miss _our_ games, Randy. Remember 'Death by a Thousand Bites'? Or what about 'Beg For Death'? You're getting turned on just thinking about it, aren't you?" Even after all these years, she could still hear their victims' screams of agony and visualize the terror on their faces.

He didn't bother to dignify that with a response. Maryse watched as he threw on socks and shoes and stormed out the front door. With a shrug, she maintained her invisibility as she followed him to what would surely be a bar or nightclub. She couldn't help but wonder if her taunting was responsible for Randy's desire for live female companionship.

Maryse wouldn't begrudge Randy his need for blood-nothing would switch on his homicidal tendencies faster-but he could cross having sex off his to do list until he gave up on his fantasy of turning Melina into the Latina Maryse.


	10. Fight or Flight

Thank you as always to my readers and reviewers!

* * *

Randy never made it to his intended destination. He didn't have to since he had stumbled across dinner along the way.

A tall blonde in a light pink baby tee and a short black skirt was busy pinning a piece of paper to a tree. Even from a distance, Randy could tell that it was one of those missing person fliers. The person in question was a familiar brown-eyed brunette with an olive complexion. "Layla El" was her name, apparently.

_Good riddance, _Randy thought as he remembered the ungrateful bitch's whining-and the satisfying crunching noise her neck had made when he broke it. Her skills in the bedroom left something to be desired as well.

The vampire heard sniffling as he approached the blonde. Sensing movement behind her, she turned. Tears leaked out of her blue eyes and ran down her cheeks, smearing them with black streaks of makeup. She clutched a large stack of fliers between her hands.

He could feel a cold breeze at his back, which he suspected meant that Maryse was still hanging around. She had better not do anything to fuck this up, or else he would…Well, he'd think of _something_.

"Friend of yours?" Randy inquired after briefly scanning the paper.

She nodded. "My best f-friend. We…We were partying at Del Rio's"-A local nightclub-"last weekend and Layla left early because she had a headache. I haven't seen or heard from her s-since."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, doing his best impression of sincerity. "I hope your friend comes home safely-and soon."

The woman managed a small smile in return. "Thanks. Me, too."

"You've _really_ lowered your standards, Randy," Maryse scoffed into his ear. "This one has no tits-no ass, either."

Randy did his best to ignore her. "My name is Randy. What's yours?"

"Michelle."

"You shouldn't be out here alone, Michelle. The streets are a dangerous place to be after dark-especially for beautiful young women."

Maryse made a gagging sound in the background. "Just drain her already." Clearly, Randy was the only one who could hear her.

Michelle, meanwhile, blushed. "I guess I lost track of time. I started putting posters up right after work..."

"Can I walk you home?"

She hesitated, but one look into Randy's eyes changed her mind. He loved having so much power over mere mortals.

"Sure," she agreed, beaming despite her anxiety over Layla's fate. "I'd like that." She gave him her address and they turned down a deserted alley after walking for a few minutes.

"Why are you out here, anyway?" she wanted to know. "Just taking a walk? I mean, it _is_ a nice night, even if it is dark. But it's not like anybody is gonna mess with _you_, so…"

_No wonder she and that Layla girl were best friends. Neither of them can shut the fuck up for even a second._

"Actually, I was going to grab a bite to eat. That reminds me…" Randy acted so quickly that Michelle never caught so much of a glimpse of his fangs. She shrieked and slapped at him pathetically as he gulped down her blood.

"Ooh, that's hot." Maryse sighed dramatically. "I wish you hadn't killed me, Randy. I miss the taste of blood."

If the bitch kept harassing him he was going to have her exorcised.

It wasn't long before Michelle moaned and went limp in Randy's arms. He licked the remaining blood from his lips as he contemplated what he was going to do to her once he got her home.

Michelle's eyes suddenly flew open, as did her mouth, and she began coughing and sputtering. Her hands went to her throat as if someone was choking her-

"Let go," he snarled. "Damn it, Maryse, let go of her!" He had intended to kill Michelle himself and he didn't appreciate Maryse stepping in to do _his_ job. Besides, he was also suffering the side effects from not getting laid tonight.

"No! Not until she's dead!" Maryse retorted, laughing wildly while Michelle continued to fight for her life.

"I'm warning you…"

"What are you going to do to me, Randy? Kill me? I'm already dead, remember?"

For all of his powers, the vampire was completely helpless in a battle against a ghost. It was impossible to fight off someone he couldn't see or touch. Randy was forced to wait out Michelle's gagging and gasping until her heartbeat finally stopped and Maryse dropped the other blonde's lifeless body at his feet.

"That was _so_ much fun!" She clapped in delight. "We should do it again sometime, don't you think?"

"What do you want from me?" he demanded. "Show yourself!"

Maryse materialized about six feet away. She smirked at him and tossed her long, platinum blonde hair over her shoulders. Blood soaked the skin and shimmering gold material covering her left breast and was splattered across the lower half of her dress. Only a slight translucent quality indicated that she was neither human nor vampire.

"Maryse." His voice came out in a whisper. Even dead, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

She tilted her head in the direction of Michelle's corpse. "You can still fuck her if you want, but you probably won't enjoy it. I know how much tears and screaming excite you."

"I already moved on and I suggest you do the same." Randy couldn't resist smirking as he added, "I'm sure your beloved 'Teddy' misses you. Go find his ghost and tell him I said 'hello'."

Maryse's haughty expression crumbled. "He crossed over," she said quietly, her gaze shifting to the concrete underneath her feet.

"I don't blame him. You got his ass killed."

"Fuck you!" Maryse spat, her hazel eyes blazing at the accusation. "You murdered us over an affair that didn't exist!" She snarled something in French before switching back to English and lowering her tone. "I _never_ had sex with Ted. I just used him for blood and material things." Her mood changed abruptly and she rubbed up against Randy, who shut his eyes and moaned softly out of instinct. "No human could ever satisfy me the way you did."

It wasn't anything solid that touched him but a kind of electrical energy. The resulting pleasure was almost enough for him to forget how much he hated Maryse-

A hard kick between the legs reminded him in a hurry.

"You…fucking…bitch!" he gasped, falling to his knees in agony.

His former lover threw back her head and laughed harshly. "Murderers don't get happy endings, Randy-especially not _mine._ But, if you agree to forget all about that whore Melina, I promise that your afterlife won't be _quite_ as miserable."

"Go to hell," he managed to rasp out. Melina had belonged to him the moment he sank his fangs into her throat. He wasn't going to give up on possessing her in every way just because Maryse threw a few ghostly hissy fits.

"See you there, mon amour." She blew him a kiss before fading into nothingness.

* * *

"Hello, Wade," purred the woman who answered the phone. "Are you in need of some twin magic?"

_I will be if Melina doesn't put out soon, _Wade thought, tempted to take out his frustrations with a punch to the steering wheel. Instead, he closed his eyes-he'd pulled into an empty parking lot before making the call-and savored the memory of going on holiday with Drew last summer. They'd been in Melina's hometown of Los Angeles when they first met the Garcia twins. The identical brunette vampires had made their visit an especially memorable experience.

"Wade as in Wade Barrett, that sexy British werewolf?" called another female voice before he could answer her sister's question.

"Duh! Who else do you know named Wade?" the first voice replied impatiently. Wade could sense her rolling her eyes. "Sorry about that. We're just _so_ excited to hear from you."

"Is he in L.A.?" The other twin's tone was hopeful.

"I don't know, Nikki. Are you, Wade?"

"I'm afraid not." Ah, so he was talking to Brie-the one with the hidden tattoo he'd had the pleasure of discovering. "Listen, I have a favor to ask of you-either of you. Are you two still working the night shift at Cedars-Sinai?"

"Yes," they chimed in unison.

_Perfect. _"Is the singer John Hennigan still a patient there? I heard he suffered a drug overdose."

"Yeah, he's in a coma. It's kind of sad…His blood was delicious."

"He wasn't too bad in the bedroom, either."

Wade had no idea which twin was talking, nor did he care. He also wasn't surprised that the sisters had been intimately involved with the rock star. They always took their dinner to bed, so good looks were a must whether their prey was male or female.

"It sounds like you two fancy him."

"Well, he _is_ hot, but it was just a one night stand…"

"Everyone knows humans are only good for food and sex. Why are you asking about him, anyway?"

"I need to make sure he never wakes up."

There was a pause, then, "You want us to kill him." The words were merely intended to confirm his orders. Wade knew that neither of the Garcias valued human life, although they weren't addicted to torturing and killing like Randy Orton was.

"Yes." He couldn't forget the look in Melina's eyes last night when she talked about her ex. No matter what she said, her heart would belong to Hennigan as long as he was in the picture. Wade needed Melina's complete devotion in order for his plans to succeed.

Fortunately, neither of the vampire sisters was interested in his motive-not that he intended to tell them the truth.

"Nikki has the night off, but I'm working, so I can do it-but what do I get in return?"

"We, you mean," Nikki put in.

"Right. We."

"I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my life. Whenever I'm in Los Angeles-or you're in Tampa-your pleasure will be my number one priority." Melina need not know about any of this, but it didn't matter if she found out because she was _his_ and _he_ made the rules.

"We have a deal," one of them-Brie, he suspected-answered in a tone thick with lust. "Trust me: No one will ever know Hennigan died of something other than natural causes."

"Thank you, loves. Call me when it's over."

Wade tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and sighed. He knew he should get back to running errands, but, the more he thought about his future encounter with the Garcia twins, the more he just wanted to go home and take a cold shower.

If only he could persuade Melina to join him…

* * *

"No offense, but I'd rather stay with Drew or Sheamus-"

"Sorry. They're both busy-but the pack will take good care of you."

_Only because you'll kill them if they don't, _Melina argued silently as Wade led her away from the scene of her latest crime. She had tried so hardto stay on the animal diet, but it just wasn't working out. Feeding off humans wasn't so bad, she reasoned, because Wade was there to stop her from killing or even seriously injuring them. For example, the cheerful, young brunette she'd just attacked would soon be back to full health with no memories whatsoever of tonight's incident.

Melina hoped Wade was able to murder Randy soon, because she didn't know how much more "quality time" with Nexus she could take.

"Besides, it's just Heath and Darren tonight," Wade continued. "They may not be as intimidating as the others, but they can protect you just as well."

The vampire suspected that if Heath and Darren had their way, they'd deliver her to Randy personally and then run like hell, but she kept her cynicism to herself. No one in the pack wanted to incur the wrath of Wade Barrett. They might not be civil to her, but, as long as Wade was alpha, they would do everything in their power to keep Melina safe.

* * *

PJ was all smiles for the fans as he walked down the aisle after his first successful title defense, slapping hands and holding his belt up with pride. He had been his usual fearless, highflying self in the ring only minutes before.

Nobody knew that he'd rather be anywhere but here.

He took a deep breath and put on a brave face as he marched through the curtain and entered the backstage area. Wade had made a brief appearance to wrestle and disappeared after his own win. They hadn't crossed paths even once all night.

PJ wasn't naïve. He knew that Wade, who had a memory like an elephant's, hadn't forgotten about the deadline. Any minute now, he would show up with his usual arrogant grin, slap PJ on the shoulder, and congratulate him on deciding to join Nexus.

Then the Brit would lose his infamous temper when he realized PJ's intentions were completely different. Calling Wade by his real name was enough to earn the offender an angry lecture on maintaining kayfabe. PJ shuddered to think what _his _punishment would be.

He always hung around after the shows to sign autographs and chat with his fans, but not tonight. Getting home safely was his top priority at the moment. Now that his match was over, he was free to leave, and, if he hurried, he could delay the inevitable for another week-

"Hello, Lloyd."


	11. Offers That Can't Be Refused

Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter done! I really struggled with Melina's scenes, but I'm happy with how everything turned out. Thanks for reading and please review. :)

* * *

PJ was not the kind of man who threw around curse words, but several came to mind when Wade approached him.

"Let's go somewhere more…private," Wade suggested. "I don't want anyone else to hear this conversation."

The other wrestler nodded and forced himself to follow Wade down the hallway, alarms going off in his mind the whole time. Wade stopped in front of a locked side entrance and turned his smug expression on PJ, who gulped. His heart hammered inside his chest as if it were trying desperately to escape.

"The last time we spoke, you turned down my offer," Wade said in a cool tone that contradicted his smugness. "You even insisted that you didn't need my help."

"Listen, Wade, I-"

"I hope that you've since reconsidered. You see, Lloyd, you never really had a choice." He wrapped a large hand around PJ's wrist, causing him to suck in a breath through gritted teeth as he struggled in vain to free himself. "Now, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way." He continued applying pressure until PJ was almost convinced his bones would not just shatter but crumble to dust. "It will be more pleasant on you if you cooperate, but I'm not above using other, less…civilized methods to persuade you. So, what's your answer?"

PJ's stomach twisted into a knot as he remembered the mystery man's warning. _It's not too late to get out of this mess, _he told himself. If he agreed to join Nexus, he could buy himself some time-time that could be used to access his inheritance and book a flight…

"Yes!" he gasped at last. "Yes, I'll join Nexus."

"I knew you'd see things my way." Wade stopped squeezing PJ's wrist and instead slapped him on the back, nearly knocking the wind out of him in the process. "Welcome to Nexus, kid." PJ was too frightened to point out that he was only about seven months younger than Wade. "I'll get back to you soon with further instructions." He beamed at the newest member of the group before walking away with a definite bounce in his step.

PJ slumped against the wall, still clad in his wrestling gear, and massaged his aching wrist. The surrounding skin was already turning an interesting mosaic of colors. He realized then that he'd made a horrible mistake by ignoring the advice he'd been given-and he vowed not to make the same mistake twice.

He was going to get the hell out of Florida before Wade could even _attempt_ to corrupt him.

* * *

"Listen, Melina, we wanted to apologize…" Heath started.

"Yeah, we're sorry," Darren agreed.

Melina stared at them blankly. "I-I don't understand…" Aside from Wade, Heath and Darren were the least offensive members of Nexus. They neither intimidated her like Skip and Michael nor treated her like dirt the way David did. For the most part, they preferred to stay out of her way-which was just fine by her.

"We're sorry for giving you the cold shoulder," Heath said, blushing as he shut the front door behind them. "It was wrong and we want to make amends."

Darren nodded. "It's just that we're not used to being around vampires, you see. We, uh, didn't know how to act around you."

"Apology accepted." Melina smiled to show them that she wasn't holding a grudge. Although they continued to give off nervous vibes, they were more relaxed in her presence this time around. She was determined to prove to them that she was a vampire who could be trusted. "I wish the others were as nice as you guys-and Wade, of course."

The werewolves exchanged glances. "They're not exactly friends of ours," Heath explained uneasily, settling into an armchair. Melina took the opposite chair and Darren moved to the sofa. "They just tolerate us because we're in the pack."

"But they've got our backs," Darren added.

"Even David?" Just saying his name left a bitter taste in Melina's mouth. "Badmouthing the pack leader doesn't exactly show loyalty, you know."

"How's Wade treating you? Good, right?"

"What are you implying?" Melina glared at Darren. Not him, too!

Heath cleared his throat and took over. "The whole 'English gentleman' thing is just an act. You're not the first woman to fall for it."

The vampire rolled her eyes. "How much did David pay you to say that?"

"This has nothing to do with him," Darren insisted. "We just don't want you to end up like those other chicks-I mean, women."

Melina knew this was her cue to ask what other women he was talking about, but she refused to take the bait. Instead, she crossed her arms stubbornly and gave them a look that could have frightened even Randy Orton.

To her dismay, her scowl wasn't enough to get them to drop the subject-although both Heath and Darren proceeded with caution.

"The guy's got a rap sheet about a mile long." Heath eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "Women are just toys to him. He uses them, he breaks them-"

"Wade would _never_ hurt me." Melina shook her head, too. Either Wade's pack members were insanely jealous of him or they were desperate to get rid of her-or both.

"Not as long as you play by his rules. But, if you don't…" Darren let his sentence trail off ominously.

"I don't have to listen to this. I'm out of here." Melina was trembling with rage as she hopped off the chair and marched toward the front door of Heath's apartment. She'd had enough drama over the last few weeks. Heath got there first, however, and used his larger frame to block her path.

"And just where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

"Home," she snapped.

"No way. Wade will kill us if we let you leave-"

"And what if Randy finds you? What are you gonna do then, huh?"

Melina didn't know how to answer Darren's questions. She didn't have a chance against Randy and they all knew it.

Well, she might have to stay here whether she wanted to or not, but that didn't mean she had to listen to Heath and Darren spread vicious rumors about her only friend.

"Drop the subject or I'll tell Wade what you two said tonight. I'm sure he'd just _love_ to know that his followers are conspiring against him." Worrying herself sick over John had already put her in a bad mood, and now she felt positively violent towards Darren and Heath. She just might end up killing both of them if they continued to provoke her.

"All right," Heath agreed reluctantly. "Just don't try to leave, okay?" His mouth drifted open again, as if he wanted to continue his train of thought, but one look into Melina's eyes made him reconsider.

* * *

Wade's mobile phone went off as he was headed from the arena toward Heath's apartment. He glanced at the number and an evil grin spread across his face.

"He's partying with Jim Morrison now," Brie cooed when he picked up. "See you soon, gorgeous."

For a second, Wade feared that the vampire might have done more than just kill Hennigan, but he knew she wouldn't risk missing out on "getting paid" by taking liberties with his directions.

His mind drifted back to Paul Lloyd Junior and he felt a frown crease his face.

It hadn't taken much effort on his part to persuade some of the others to turn. The promise of power and supernatural abilities was usually seductive enough. If all else failed, the threat of violence-to the target and/or a loved one-always did the trick.

This one was different, though. Lloyd had already turned his offer down once, and he knew that the free-spirited rebel was still lurking beneath the man's frightened exterior. Wade was almost positive his would-be recruit intended to bolt long before the full moon. There wasn't even a girlfriend or relative he could threaten to bully Lloyd into submission.

However, there was one fool-proof way to force any human being into obedience. It wasn't anything a werewolf was capable of, but, fortunately for Wade, he knew of someone who could and would do it for him-someone he just happened to have on speed dial.

* * *

Melina had always known this day would come, but nothing could prepare her for the emotional impact of losing John.

The day had started off innocently enough. Melina had drifted into a restless, dreamless sleep because her waking hours were consumed with worries about John's fate. As soon as she awoke, she began looking for a diversion. Having lost interest in television after too much mindless channel surfing, she decided to comb through the apartment in search of books, movies, and music. She had already dismissed the idea of using Wade's laptop without his permission.

Wade had a decent, if small, CD collection, but most of his DVDs were wrestling-related and he didn't have much in the way of books. She supposed this was because all of his free time revolved around the pack, wrestling, and working out. He _was_ subscribed to the local newspaper, though, and Melina devoured the paper with enthusiasm-until she came across an article about John's death.

_Better get used to it, _whispered a little voice inside her head as the tears began to flow. _Every vampire goes through this over and over again._

Melina imagined that getting staked was relatively painless in comparison to the heartbreak of so much grief. Her emotions were all over the place. An overwhelming combination of despair, rage, and terror made the bottled animal blood she'd consumed earlier threaten to revolt violently.

_Shouldn't I be in shock or denial or something? _she wondered, waiting-and hoping-for the inevitable numbness to kick in. Melina thought of all the times she'd erased someone's memories after feeding from them and wished someone could do the same for her. After all, she couldn't grieve for her human friends and family members if she couldn't remember them.

She had no idea how long she'd been lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and watching the fan blades spin lazily. Tears had flowed freely throughout the day, although her eyes were dry now, and the bedding was rumpled underneath her. She'd attempted to sleep off her sorrows, only to dream of finding John's body with a needle in his arm. In her nightmare, she had clutched his cold hand and looked into his glassy blue eyes while apologizing repeatedly between sobs.

John hadn't always been a good person. He'd done a lot of stupid, selfish, reckless things over the years and died young because of it. Nonetheless, Melina hoped her ex-boyfriend wasn't enduring eternal punishment. She was no angel, either-she had a quick temper, a big mouth, and had flirted with other men to give John a taste of his own medicine, among other sins-and now she was paying dearly for her past. What if John was doing the same?

No. If hell existed, then it was surely reserved for the Randy Orton types-murderers, rapists, men who beat their wives and children. Just thinking about John being lumped in with those kind of monsters made her feel physically ill. There had to be something better for him...

She forced herself to imagine him in some kind of rock star heaven, singing with his idols. Another image came to her and she pictured John as a ghost, sneaking into concerts here on Earth…

But what if he was out there somewhere, searching for her? What if he could never be at peace until he knew what had happened to her and made amends?

_If only I could talk to him one more time…_

Melina couldn't drag herself from her position on the bed, not even after she heard the front door being unlocked and Wade called her name. She tried to ignore another one of the hunger pangs that had plagued her throughout the day. Grief had ruined her appetite in the past, but bloodlust apparently overcame everything.

"John's dead," she said flatly as he entered the bedroom.

There was a pause while Wade absorbed her words. Judging by the look on his face, he hadn't heard the news until just now.

"I'm sorry, Melina. I really am." He flicked on the light switch, causing Melina to blink rapidly until she'd adjusted to the sudden illumination, and sat beside her on the bed. "Come here."

She gratefully accepted the hug he offered. _David, Heath, and Darren are wrong about Wade, _she told herself. _They only know him as the leader of their pack. They've never seen this side of him._

For the first time, she began to understand the dynamics of the Nexus pack. Wade _had_ to be assertive-even aggressive-to keep such strong personalities in line. He couldn't afford to let his guard down until he was away from the other werewolves, which was why he was so relaxed around Drew, polite to Taryn, and gentle with Melina.

"I read it in the paper," she said in a rush, desperate to change the subject that her mind had suddenly decided to explore. Yes, Wade was going to die, too-eventually-but he was alive and safe at the moment. "They said he was in a coma and he just…stopped breathing."

"I'm sorry," he said again. There were no words that could adequately express the sympathy shining in his eyes.

Those beautiful green eyes…

Impulsively, she pressed her lips to his. Once the initial shock wore off, he responded eagerly-only to pull away from her after a few glorious seconds.

"I can't do this."

"Why not?" Excuse after excuse tumbled around inside her head. What hurt most was his inability to meet her gaze.

"It's not right. I'd be taking advantage of you-"

"No, you wouldn't." Melina cupped his face in her hands before continuing. "I had a life planned for myself-John, a career, a bucket list full of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to go...But Randy Orton stole that future from me." Anger washed over her and she shuddered with the effort of reining in her emotions. "I can't go back to my old life and it hurts like hell to think about everything I've lost." Wade remained silent as she began to cry. "Meeting you is the only good thing that's happened to me lately."

"Melina…" The anguish written on his face reflected how torn he was between what his body-and perhaps his heart-wanted to do and what he thought he _should_ do.

"Make me forget, Wade," she pleaded. "Just for a little while. _Please_."

This time, he was the one to initiate the kiss.


	12. Just Like Magic

Thank you for being so patient and understanding with me. Hopefully, the quality and length of each chapter help make up for the infrequent updates!

* * *

Being a vampire definitely had a few advantages-especially during moments like this.

Every kiss, every touch made Melina feel as if her cold skin was melting. She had been thrilled to discover that Wade was one of those men who took his own pleasure from satisfying his lover. Amazingly, he seemed to know what she wanted and needed even before she did.

Their lovemaking became increasingly passionate-and aggressive-as their predatory natures erased whatever humanity they had left. Impulsively, or perhaps instinctively, Melina sank her fangs into Wade's throat when both had nearly reached the height of ecstasy. The taste of his blood nearly made her sick, but it was a small price to pay in exchange for the best sex she'd ever had. Wade cried out in apparent agreement.

Melina moaned loudly as an intense wave of pleasure rushed through her body. Although she was anything but exhausted, Wade was breathless afterward. It was hard to hear her own thoughts over the pounding of his heart. She grinned at him and he returned the grin before flipping over onto his back.

_I'm dead, and I just fucked a guy who turns into a wolf. _Melina nearly giggled at the thought. John had talked her into getting a tarot card reading once, and the woman doing the reading sure as hell hadn't seen anything like _this_ in Melina's future…

"That was…incredible," she whispered, snuggling against Wade's chest. He slipped an arm around her shoulder in that familiar, comforting way of his and kissed her forehead, making her shiver in response.

"You're incredible," he murmured.

Melina had never been so full of lust-or so much in love.

* * *

PJ was deep in thought as he pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex. His trembling fingers made locking the car door something of a challenge.

_I can't go back home. That's the first place he'll look…Maybe I could return to Scotland or-no, definitely not England…I've heard good things about Australia-_

"Hello, PJ. Remember me?"

The wrestler turned around, keys in hand, expecting to see a familiar face. Instead, he found himself staring at a complete stranger. He did recognize the accent, though, having lived in Scotland for six months. The man was dressed casually in a light gray T-shirt and black jeans, his long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, but there was something in his blue eyes that made PJ uncomfortable. They were almost...hypnotic. Yes, that was the right word. He tried to turn away from that eerie gaze but found himself literally unable to move.

"It's Drew. We were neighbors back in Scotland," the taller man said calmly and quietly. "You remember me now."

"I remember you." PJ suddenly felt very relaxed. It had been years since he'd lived in Scotland and he'd done a lot of traveling and met a lot of people in that time. No wonder he needed a reminder.

"You changed your mind about leaving Florida." Drew continued to speak in that low tone, never once breaking eye contact. "You're going to stay here and join Nexus instead."

"I changed my mind about leaving Florida," PJ repeated automatically. His own voice sounded strange to his ears-as if he were one of those dolls that spoke prerecorded words when someone pulled a string. "I'm going to stay here and join Nexus instead."

Drew nodded. "That's right. You're also going to follow Wade's orders, no questions asked."

"I'm going to follow Wade's orders, no questions asked." PJ was like a parrot, repeating everything that was said to him, but he couldn't help it.

"Good to see you again, PJ," Drew added, shaking the other man's hand before walking away. PJ blinked-his vision was a little blurry for some reason-and watched him disappear into the night.

With a shrug, he started walking to his building. A smile broke out on his face. He was glad he'd had a change of heart about becoming part of Nexus. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Maybe he didn't always get along with Wade, but he knew that Wade had his best interests at heart and he would be smart to take his advice.

* * *

Drew was waiting for Sheamus when he walked into the pub. The Irishman wasn't surprised to note a certain werewolf's absence.

"He's on his way," Drew informed Sheamus as he pulled up a stool next to him at the counter. The vampire rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Typical alpha behavior, making everyone else wait on him."

"Just be glad you're not in his pack, fella." One couldn't ask for a more loyal friend, but taking orders from Wade was something else entirely. There was an aura of perpetual misery surrounding the other members of Nexus.

"I'd drink to that if I could." There was a hint of remorse in Drew's voice. He had once confided to Sheamus that the only bad thing about being a vampire was the inability to drink.

They made small talk while they waited for Wade. It turned out that they only had to wait a few minutes. His friends noticed the spring in his step as he made his way across the pub to them.

"Good evening, gentlemen," he called out, then placed an order for three beers with the bartender.

"Somebody got laid last night," Drew said with a smirk.

"A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell," Wade replied, but he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Ah, but you're no gentleman." Sheamus was only pretending to tease him. He knew that Wade was capable of great evil. Then again, he wasn't exactly a saint, either, and neither was Drew…

"And you wouldn't stop at kissing, either," Drew added.

Wade refused to elaborate further, but his smug expression spoke for itself.

Sheamus and Drew both insisted on splitting the cost of Wade's tab. After all, this was their belated birthday gift to him. Drew occasionally lifted his glass to his lips and pretended to drink, but, whenever the bartender and other patrons were occupied, he took a swig out of a flask he'd stashed in his jeans pocket.

It was important to keep up appearances when you weren't an ordinary human being. Sheamus himself had learned that lesson as a little boy.

Wade turned to Sheamus. "So, how's it going?"

"It's a challenge, but I'm not giving up." There was no need for Wade to go into detail-and it wouldn't be a good idea to discuss such matters in public, anyway. Sheamus knew at once that Wade was referring to the shape-shifting drug project.

"Glad to hear it." Now Wade learned over the bar so that he could better see Drew. "Thanks for holding up your end of the bargain."

Drew waved a hand dismissively. "What are friends for?"

There were no secrets between the three of them. In exchange for persuading Paul Lloyd Junior to join Nexus, Drew's dream would finally come true. And, in return for coming up with an effective drug-or at least attempting to do so, because he couldn't guarantee success-Wade had promised to hook Sheamus up with a woman who wouldn't freak out over his supernatural gift.

That would be nice for a change.

"Don't think I forgot about you, Sheamus," Wade said as if the redhead was broadcasting his thoughts over a loudspeaker. "I have a few lovely ladies in mind."

_A few lovely ladies? God, I hope he's not talking about those crazy vampire twins he and Drew fooled around with last year…_Sheamus wasn't keen on the idea of accidentally dying or being turned during a kinky threeway with the undead.

All three of them sensed the presence of magic before the door swung open. Both Wade and Drew delicately sniffed the air and seemed to be listening intently. At times like this, it nearly drove Sheamus mad that his own powers didn't include enhanced sight, hearing, and smell.

"Human," Drew declared.

"A woman," Wade added, pointedly glancing at Sheamus.

"A witch?" There was no other explanation for the vibe they were picking up on. She must be one of those "lovely ladies" Wade had mentioned.

Drew nodded and let out a low whistle as the mystery woman stepped into the pub.

"She looks more like a goddess, doesn't she?"

Sheamus was too busy staring to respond. The woman was gorgeous, no doubt about it. Her long, curly golden hair was streaked with hot pink and a genuine smile lit up her entire face. She was of medium height with an athletic yet curvy figure that was enhanced by a simple black T-shirt and jeans. That pleased Sheamus to no end. He personally had never been attracted to the starving supermodel type.

Just then, she turned and looked in their direction. Her expression was an appealing blend of curiosity and excitement. Blushing, she quickly turned and found herself an unoccupied table in the corner.

_A witch. She's a witch, _Sheamus thought, unable to resist smiling at her. He wouldn't have objected to being in a "mixed relationship"-after all, Drew and Wade couldn't be happier with their partners-but he was secretly thrilled to encounter a lovely woman who shared his supernatural powers.

"He's smitten with her. Listen to his heartbeat, Drew."

"Oh, shut up." Sheamus lightly punched the werewolf in the shoulder. He felt his face turning a shade that nearly matched his bright red hair.

Drew nudged him. "What are you waiting for? Buy her a drink."

The warlock was about to do just that when another man approached her first. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. This fella was younger than him-perhaps in his mid-twenties-with dark hair and a cheesy grin that must have cost a fortune. He leaned in close to the woman and said something that made her shake her head. The woman's reply, in turn, caused his megawatt smile to disappear momentarily.

"What are they saying?" Sheamus demanded when Drew started snickering and Wade's smirk returned. Panic suddenly seized him. "No, wait. Don't tell me. I don't want to know." Drew patted him on the shoulder and held up his right index finger, indicating that Sheamus should wait before doing or saying anything else.

The dark-haired man said something else and the witch whispered into his ear, cupping her hand around her mouth for more privacy. By now, Wade and Drew were both struggling to contain their laughter. A frustrated Sheamus gripped his glass tightly, his eyes locked on the couple.

With a charming smile, the blonde pulled a mirror out of her purse and held it up to her companion. To Sheamus' surprise, the fella took one look at his reflection and began screaming.

"Oh my God! I'm _hideous_! I'm…I'm a deformed _freak_!" he shouted, then bolted for the front door, using his hands to shield his face from everyone else. "Don't look at me! Don't look at me!"

Sheamus and his friends all ended up in hysterics, as did a few other patrons. Some of them just looked downright confused and returned to their drinks after a moment's hesitation.

"I've _got _to talk to that girl," Sheamus murmured. "Excuse me, fellas." He walked quickly, afraid yet another man might try to make a move before he could get there. No one did, however, and he soon found himself standing in front of the witch's table. He looked down at her, amused but full of respect. "That was some trick you pulled."

"What trick?" She batted her eyelashes innocently. Her eyes, Sheamus noted, were a nice shade of blue. "That guy had it coming. He seduced a friend of mine and treated her like dirt." Suddenly, she broke into a grin. "Now he'll never show his face in public again-let alone harass another woman."

"You did women everywhere a favor. I'm Stephen, by the way-but me friends call me Sheamus." He stretched a hand out to her and she shook it firmly.

"Okay…Sheamus." His heart skipped a beat. "I'm Natalya." She studied him and seemed to like what she saw. At least, Sheamus sure hoped she did. "Just between us-and your friends, since they're obviously listening-I'm glad to meet another witch."

"Me, too." Sheamus glanced over his shoulder at a blushing Wade and Drew, who had begun to examine a painting on the wall. It would be impossible _not_ to eavesdrop with hearing like theirs, but couldn't they be a little more subtle? Shaking his head, the Irishman returned his full attention to Natalya. "Shall I make you a drink meself? The bartender might frown on using magic, but it's nothing my vampire friend couldn't make him forget…"

Natalya raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Or you could just buy me one-if you want to, that is."

Sheamus nodded, his face warm. "What would you like?" He was tempted to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming. His luck had to run out sometime, but, for now, he was going to seize the moment and enjoy conversation and drinks with the beautiful Natalya.

His friends, he was certain, would keep the party going without him until he returned-_if _he returned.


	13. Cursed

Thank you again, dear readers and reviewers. A special thank you goes out to Ortonholic, who gave me an idea for the flashback scene in this chapter. Also, the chapter skips ahead in time after the first section.

* * *

Randy had a reputation in the supernatural community for being mentally unstable. It was rumored that he heard voices in his head before being turned-voices that urged him to do terrible things-and continued to hear them to this day.

The truth was, Randy had never heard anyone else's voice in his head except for Maryse's. At the moment, he was listening to her deny having sex with Ted.

He stopped pacing the hallway and slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. As much as he hated to go there, his mind insisted on dragging him back to a July night in 1976 San Francisco-a few nights after he had staked Maryse.

_So, this was Ted-or, rather, Ted Junior. _

_From a distance, he was a man in his late twenties, muscular and nearly as tall as Randy himself. His short hair was a shade somewhere between blond and light brown, his eyes, blue, and his skin tanned. And that smile…His teeth were so perfect that Randy wanted to shove them down his fucking throat._

_Ted strutted out of the empty nightclub into the warm spring air. His gait suggested that he could easily afford to own a place like this. Randy had done a little research and discovered that Ted DiBiase Junior was the son of a wealthy and famous minister. He seemed to be rebelling against a strict Christian upbringing by partying in exclusive clubs, drinking a little too much, throwing his money away on designer clothing-and sleeping with Maryse._

_Just thinking about them in bed together made Randy want to grab Ted and literally tear his heart out._

_Instead, he clenched his fists and waited for Ted to stop in his tracks. The human looked around in confusion, his smug expression quickly turning anxious. _

"_Virgil? Hey, Virgil, where…" He began to scream like a little girl at the sight of the bouncer's limp body crumpled next to the dumpster several yards away._

"_Virgil's dead," Randy said, stepping out of the shadows, "and so is Maryse."_

_Ted went silent and clutched at his chest in terror. His heartbeat sounded like a racehorse galloping to the finish line. Sweat broke out on his brow and his face drained of color, which would have been amusing if Randy hadn't been so pissed off. _

"_M-Maryse? Sorry, man, but I don't know anyone by-"_

_Randy had Ted pinned against the wall before he could even finish his sentence, gripping the collar of the other man's white button-down shirt so tightly that the fabric threatened to tear. He leaned in until he nearly bumped noses with Ted and looked into his eyes._

"_Tell me the truth, Ted. Have you ever had sex with her?"_

_Ted's features visibly relaxed as Randy's hypnotism took effect. _

"_No."_

_Randy jerked back, surprised. He would have bet anything that Ted was going to confirm his suspicions. Then again, Maryse didn't like to take unnecessary risks. Every action was calculated well in advance. One look into those bewitching hazel eyes could persuade any human being to say or do whatever she asked of him or her. Randy's compulsion wasn't strong enough to overpower those planted suggestions. He turned away so that Ted's ability to think and act independently would return._

"_You're a liar, Ted. Just like Maryse. How would you like to join her in Hell?"_

"Hell_?" Ted's voice went squeaky. He was so panic-stricken that he didn't even ask how Randy knew his name. "Please don't kill me…Listen, man, I've got money-loads of it! Here-"_

"_I want revenge, not money," Randy interrupted in a tone that made Ted shiver as if he'd been dunked in ice water. The vampire briefly contemplated murder methods, trying to determine which would be the most painful and prolong Ted's suffering as much as possible, before remembering that he hadn't fed tonight._

"_II never touched your girl, I swear! I don't even _know_ her!" Ted insisted in vain._

"_If you see Maryse, tell her your death is on her hands," Randy continued, as if he'd never heard Ted's protests of innocence. _

_Ted took one look at Randy's fangs and his jaw dropped. He had just enough time to squeak out a "No" before the vampire ripped his throat open, spilling blood down his neck and creating a tie-dye effect on his shirt. Randy was so incensed that he drained the man past the point of death without even realizing it. It wasn't until the blood started to cool in his mouth that he discarded the body like a piece of trash._

Maryse's devotion had never wavered before. They were a team, Maryse and Randy. He'd had his doubts about her falling for Ted after he'd met the pathetic Daddy's boy, but he always pushed them aside. He managed to convince himself that Maryse had fucked Ted as revenge against her lover for raping mortal women. Never mind that she had often watched and participated in the torture…She always wanted the spotlight to shine on her.

For the first time in thirty-four years, Randy was forced to confront the possibility that Maryse and Ted might have been telling the truth-and maybe, just maybe, he had killed the only woman he'd ever really loved without a valid reason.

* * *

Wade's first transformation, at the tender age of eighteen, had been so excruciating that he was almost-_almost_-willing to trade his newfound supernatural powers for a second chance at humanity. Every month, in the days leading up to the full moon, he convinced himself that his body would eventually go numb and someday he'd be able to change into a wolf with the ease of a shape-shifter.

It was bullshit, of course. He'd stopped lying to himself after a year or two and became resigned to going through hell every full moon. His agony was the sacrifice he'd made in exchange for receiving the strength, speed, and near invincibility of a bloody superhero.

Skip Sheffield loaned his empty barn to Wade during full moons-living in an apartment was inconvenient at times like this-and the Brit could smell the faint odors of horses, leather, and hay. He recalled that the property had been a boarding stable before it went up for sale. Wrinkling his nose, he rushed into one of the stalls and stripped naked, then tossed his clothes into a corner.

The wolf inside was struggling to escape before he even finished removing his clothing. A sudden and violent cramp wracked his body and caused him to drop to his hands and knees. His nails dug long gouges in the wooden floor as they sharpened into claws.

At first, Wade gritted his teeth against the pain, but his gasps and winces soon gave way to bloodcurdling screams. He was vaguely aware of Skip shouting in a similar fashion from inside his house.

Muscles and bones stretched against the boundaries of Wade's skin, starting with his hands and feet, then contorting his legs, arms, midsection, neck, and, finally, his face. It felt like someone was simultaneously breaking all of his bones, carving up his internal organs with a dull knife, and setting fire to his flesh. He clumsily pawed at his nose, whimpering as it turned into a muzzle and his wolf teeth filled in. Black hair gradually spread over his entire body, preceded by an intense itchy sensation that had him rolling around in misery.

Relieved of the burden of pain, the wolf soared through the open stall window and into the night.

He waited impatiently by the dog door-which was large enough to easily accommodate a Great Dane or Saint Bernard-built into the back door of the farmhouse. Skip Sheffield trotted out a moment later in his gray wolf form.

A joyful Wade threw back his head and howled, alerting the rest of the pack.

* * *

"Hello?"

Crickets chirped, frogs croaked, and a few dogs barked in response to PJ's inquiry, but there was no human voice to be found within the chorus of sounds. The wrestler hesitated next to the battered old truck parked in the driveway. He thought about walking up the steps to the front porch of the farmhouse and ringing the doorbell, but Wade clearly stated that he was to wait outside.

Wade's directions were confusing-he had ordered PJ to meet him at a rural address after dark on Tuesday, August 24th-but PJ had done exactly what he was told. Strange, yes, but surely Wade had a good reason for choosing this particular time and place…

He tried again. "Wade? Anybody here?"

Again, nothing.

While he waited, he attempted to do a little stargazing, but an impressive full moon lit up the sky and limited his viewing. Something about the moon suddenly made him uneasy.

When he looked down again, he was surrounded.

PJ's heart nearly stopped as the animals formed a circle around him, cutting off his only means of escape. He didn't understand how six of them could suddenly appear without him hearing a thing. PJ wasn't quite sure whether they were wolves or dogs-Huskies and black German Shepherds-but their eyes were strangely human in both color and expression.

The wrestler did his best imitation of a statue, careful to avoid prolonged eye contact with any of the canines. He hoped they'd lose interest in him and wander off once they realized he wasn't a threat. Their silence was actually more frightening than any snarl or howl because he had no clues as to what their intentions were.

Without warning, the apparent pack leader lunged for PJ in a blur of black fur, green eyes, and bared fangs. He had just enough time to shield his face with his hands before the animal knocked him down.

Teeth collided with his right arm and cut through flesh and muscle with ease. The pain was so excruciating that PJ screamed-fortunately, the noise was muffled by his hands-even though he'd vowed to play dead until the attack was over.

To his amazement, the dog-or wolf-seemed content with taking a single bite out of him. He felt the animal shift its considerable weight off his chest, followed by the sound of movement in the grass. PJ waited for several nerve-wracking minutes before he dared to peek through his fingers. He released the breath he'd been holding when he realized the pack had disappeared.

With a wince and some difficulty, he managed to pull himself into a sitting position. A quick examination of his wound revealed a perfect dental imprint and flecks of saliva surrounded by a cascade of blood.

Trembling, he used his left hand to apply pressure and immediately cried out again. His wound stung as if he'd put out a cigarette against his skin.

PJ somehow managed to get to his feet. Terrifying possibilities raced through his mind: _Infection! Rabies! Shock! Bleeding to death! _He shook his head, trying to block out the panicky thoughts and replace them with rational actions he could take.

Automatically, he reached into his pocket for his cell phone, only to remember that Wade had insisted he leave it at home. That should have been enough to make PJ back out, but, for some reason, he had just nodded in agreement.

His car keys….They should have been in his pocket, too, but they were missing.

Groaning, PJ made his way over to the front steps and sat down. He briefly entertained the notion of walking home or at least looking for a house with someone inside, but he was in unfamiliar territory-and there probably wasn't another home around for miles.

Besides, Wade was due at any minute. He'd just wait for him to show up and take him to the emergency room. Whatever plans Wade had made for tonight would just have to wait.

PJ hoped and prayed for Wade to get there before the pack returned and tried to finish off their prey.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Melina buckled up out of habit, although she no longer needed to fear dying in a car accident-unless, of course, the vehicle caught fire.

"Skip Sheffield's place," Sheamus responded as he started the engine. "You've met him, right?"

She nodded, eyes wide. "Yeah, but…Sheamus, there's a full moon and he's a werewolf!"

The warlock shrugged. "He's left by now and so has the rest of the pack. Wade asked me to show up around this time, so…"

"Why?" Melina sipped from one of the bottles of blood Wade had made up for her. It was a poor substitute for the real thing, but at least it kept her from wanting to tear Sheamus' throat out.

"You'll find out when we get there."

With a shrug, she dropped the subject and they rode in silence for awhile. It wasn't the only unanswered question of the night. She had been surprised to find Sheamus on the doorstep because she distinctly remembered Drew volunteering to stay with her during this month's full moon. Wade explained that "something came up" and immediately went about introducing Sheamus, who was every bit as charming and polite as his best friends.

Melina didn't like being kept in the dark-even if it was for her own good.

"I wonder what Wade looks like right now," she mused, mostly to herself.

"He turns into a big black wolf with green eyes." Sheamus chuckled and shook his head. "Drew wondered the same thing, so he followed him one night. Of course, Wade didn't recognize him and attacked. Drew told me he was lucky to escape. It took awhile for his injuries to heal." He glanced at Melina and added unnecessarily, "Now you know why Wade disappears on you during full moons."

"Oh." Melina shuddered. She'd witnessed Wade's animal side emerging over the past day or so-he'd been irritable in general and more aggressive during lovemaking-but that was nothing compared to what Sheamus had just told her. Anything that could injure a vampire so badly was incredibly strong, not to mention dangerous.

Eventually, they pulled into the driveway of an old yellow farmhouse. Melina was surprised to see a man slumped against the banister next to the porch steps. The brigh glare of the headlights caused him to blink and turn away.

Melina gulped as she watched blood drip through the fingers that were locked around his right forearm. Her fangs protruded in anticipation and she hastily attempted to poke them back into her gums with her tongue.

_I will not feed off him. _Those six words became her mantra for the night_. I will not feed off him. I _will not _feed off him…_She reached for the bottled blood again and calmed her nerves with another sip.

"Stay here," Sheamus ordered, slamming the front door behind him and opening the back door on his side before approaching the wounded man.

Melina craned her neck to get a better look. She tried to ignore the man's bloody arm and focus on his face instead. Although his messy black hair was matted to his forehead with sweat and his T-shirt was dirty and ripped, he had an innocent, "pretty boy" appearance that Melina found very attractive. She wasn't sure about his age…Late twenties or early thirties at most, although he looked a few years younger. He had a nice, healthy-looking tan, too…

After explaining that he was a friend of Wade's, Sheamus slung an arm around the man's shoulders and helped him down the steps. The guy was about five or six inches shorter and obviously weighed less, yet the warlock appeared to struggle with supporting him.

Melina waited while Sheamus got their passenger settled in the backseat and returned to his position behind the steering wheel, then glanced over her shoulder.

He was leaning against the window, eyes shut, cradling his injured arm. After a moment, he sensed that someone was staring at him and opened his eyes. Even in the dark, Melina could see that they were hazel with green flecks. He managed a weak smile for her benefit.

"Thank you, both of you." He spoke in an accent that might have been British or Australian, although Melina couldn't say for sure.

She opened her mouth to assure him that he would be okay, but, now that she was closer to him, her heart sunk. Although his bloody wound had distracted her at first, she quickly realized that he was perfumed in a faint "doggy" odor. Worse yet, the tantalizing scent of his very human blood was losing ground to another scent-one she was intimately familiar with.

Werewolf saliva.

_Wade's_ saliva.


	14. The Predator Within

Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed so far! Please let me know what you think of this chapter. :)

* * *

As much as Melina wanted to believe the whole thing was an accident, she knew in her heart that it was a setup. Wade had somehow lured this man out to Skip Sheffield's property during the full moon with the intention of turning him, and he must have asked Sheamus in advance to come pick up the injured werewolf-to-be…

With grim determination-and supreme effort-Melina put her emotions aside so she could concentrate on helping the poor man. She also made a mental note to tell Wade exactly what she thought about his scheme once he got home.

"I really should go to the ER," the man insisted as his rescuers guided him into Wade's apartment. "I was bitten by a…a dog, and I might get an infection or-"

"You need to get some rest, fella," interrupted Sheamus. "Lie down." They managed to lead him to the sofa in spite of his protests and gently lowered him into a reclining position. Sheamus retreated to the kitchen, where Melina could hear him opening a drawer and running water. He returned with a damp washcloth and, leaning over their patient, began to clean the skin surrounding the wound. Melina turned away, afraid her hunger would overcome the revulsion she felt towards drinking werewolf blood.

The second Sheamus left the room, the man tried to pull himself into a sitting position, cringing as he bumped his injured arm in the process. Melina immediately rushed to his side and knelt down on the carpet next to him. He studied her face, his dark eyes swimming with fear, and she was nearly brought to tears by a sudden surge of empathy. Just a few short weeks ago, she had woken up on this same sofa in this very apartment with no idea that she was turning into a supernatural entity.

Melina's transformation had been traumatic and frightening, but at least she'd had someone around to show her the ropes. Things would have been so much worse had she gone through it alone. That's why she was determined to be there for this man-no, _werewolf_-every step of the way.

She took his hands in hers and looked him straight in the eye. "What's your name?"

"Paul, but everyone calls me PJ." Then, out of the blue: "Your hands are cold."

His words startled a laugh out of her and drained some of the tension from her body. Coincidentally, her own brother-whom she'd never see again-was a PJ, too.

"I have to tell you something, PJ." Melina took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut momentarily to keep the tears at bay. If she didn't work up the nerve to tell him now, she never would. "I…I know what bit you, and it wasn't a dog. It was a wolf-a werewolf. That's why you can't go to the hospital."

A terrible silence followed. She waited for him to burst into laughter, tell her she was crazy, or try to leave, but he merely continued to stare at her.

"A werewolf," he said at last. His tone was hollow; his expression, contemplative. That somehow frightened her more than any hysterical reaction ever could.

"A black werewolf with green eyes." He gulped and his muscles visibly stiffened at the description. Melina, meanwhile, paused to swallow the rage, bitter as bile, that bubbled up in her throat. "My boyfriend Wade was the one who bit you."

"_Wade_? Oh, God…Oh my God." He pulled away from her and covered his face, but not before Melina got a quick glimpse of the unnatural gray hue his skin had taken on. She could visualize the clues clicking into place one by one in his mind like pieces of a puzzle. "It all makes sense now."

"What are you talking about?"

"I know him," he said softly, looking up again. "Or, at least, I _thought_ I knew him. We both wrestle for FCW. Anyway, he asked me to join something called Nexus-"

"His pack," Melina explained. She glanced at Sheamus, who had just returned to the room and taken over Wade's armchair. He was immersed in the sports section of the newspaper, acting as if there wasn't a newborn werewolf on his best friend's couch. His apparent apathy to PJ's suffering made her temper flare up.

"No wonder he wouldn't tell me what it was," PJ said, shaking his head. "Werewolves. I can't believe it…"

"Did you _want_ to join Nexus?" Try as she might, Melina couldn't justify Wade's actions. Wade had withheld information that was crucial to PJ's future just so he could gain a pack member. Maybe PJ _did_ want to be part of Wade's group…Maybe he didn't. Either way, he wasn't given the opportunity to decide for himself whether he wanted to go through life-and especially every full moon-as a werewolf.

That's when she realized that Wade was every bit as selfish and sadistic as Randy. In some ways, he was even worse…

PJ, meanwhile, shook his head in an almost violent manner. "I wanted nothing to do with him-or them-at first, but then one day I just…changed my mind." He sighed. "Weird, huh?"

"Very," she agreed. Something about his statement made her feel as if she'd just taken a punch to the gut, but she was too upset to play connect the dots right now.

He anxiously examined his wound, which had stopped bleeding but still looked nasty-although Melina, naturally, felt her fangs move from their retracted position at the sight.

"Tell me the truth," he demanded in a hoarse whisper, eyes still downcast. "Am I turning into a werewolf?"

"Yes. I'm so sorry, PJ." Her response was choked with grief, and the tears gathering in her eyes finally escaped, mingling with mascara to form a sooty trail down her cheeks. She hadn't realized that answering his question had revealed her secret until she heard him gasp and watched him back away from her.

"What _are _you?" he whispered, somehow managing to smoothly blend a mixture of horror and fascination into his voice. "You're not a werewolf, obviously, but you're not human, either..."

"Melina is a vampire, fella," Sheamus' lilting accent rang out over the newspaper. "I'm a warlock, by the way. Me name's Sheamus. Welcome to the club."

"Oh, God. I think I'm gonna…" PJ trailed off, suddenly looking even more ill-if that was possible. Melina, who had helped John recover from more hangovers than she cared to remember, recognized the signs immediately and got PJ to the bathroom in the nick of time. She rested her hand lightly on the back of his neck while he was sick, startled to feel him shiver even though his skin blazed with intense heat. Was he feverish or just reacting to her icy touch?

"I don't feel so good," he moaned after rinsing his mouth out with a paper cup of water. "I'm cold…." He hugged his arms around his chest and began to shiver in earnest.

Fever, definitely.

"Let me help you." Melina wrapped an arm around his waist and slung one of his own arms over her shoulder, then gently helped him return to the sofa. PJ was practically dead weight, but the vampire supported him with the ease of lifting a sack of flour.

"That'd be the infection spreading," Sheamus commented once the others returned. "Don't worry, lad. You'll feel better in a week or two-better than ever."

"A _week or two_?" PJ groaned.

"Probably sooner," Melina offered hopefully, glaring at Sheamus. PJ would survive the initial symptoms somehow, and he might even learn to tolerate the pain of changing into a wolf, but, emotionally, he would never make a full recovery.

Melina could never, ever forgive Wade for doing this to him.

* * *

Being infected with the werewolf virus felt an awful lot like coming down with the flu.

At the first sign of chills, Melina had draped two blankets over PJ and rushed to turn off the air conditioner. The cold, clammy feeling was soon replaced with soothing warmth. Melina never left his side except to run errands, and she always managed to get him to the bathroom in time whenever nausea overcame him. He appreciated her kindness-and her beauty.

"So, about the werewolf thing…It only happens when there's a full moon, right? Or…" PJ didn't dare to finish his sentence out loud, as if doing so would somehow tempt fate. He knew next to nothing about the paranormal and the firm line between fact and fiction was now terribly blurred, but he'd heard stories of men who could change into wolves when they got too angry or emotional. With his anger at and fear of Wade, he dreaded becoming a wolf permanently.

To his immense relief, Melina nodded. "Yeah, it's only for one night a month."

_And twice a month when there's a blue moon, _he added silently, nonetheless releasing the breath he'd been holding. Pain began to radiate from his open wound, spreading outward with a faint pulsing sensation. Years of in-ring experience paid off, enabling him to ignore the discomfort-for now.

"It's going to hurt like hell, isn't it?" His voice came out in little more than a whisper, yet he knew Melina had heard him because she averted her gaze when he attempted to meet her eyes. "I'll take that as a yes," he mumbled. "Is there _anything_ good about being a werewolf?"

Her attempt at a smile retained a hint of a grimace. "Well, you'll be able to see, hear, and smell a lot better, and you'll be stronger and faster, too."

"That's a relief. I'm sick of wearing contacts."

His comment elicited a genuine, if brief, smile in response.

"I'm supposed to be comforting _you_, not the other way around," she chided him gently. "Try to get some sleep, PJ. You look exhausted."

"I am," he agreed, and shut his eyes, but sleep would not come. The pain was seeping through his body like poison, starting with his arms, then making his neck stiff and giving him the beginnings of a migraine before crushing his breath within his chest. By the time it reached his stomach, he felt as if he was being stabbed repeatedly all over his upper body.

"PJ? What's wrong?" Melina grasped his hand again, her brown eyes wide with terror. Even Sheamus glanced up from the newspaper in alarm. The expressions on their faces only made PJ more uncomfortable.

"Pain," he managed to reply in between gasps for air.

"Get some aspirin," Melina ordered Sheamus, who declined.

"Sorry. That stuff only works on humans."

PJ sucked in a breath and released it in a hiss between his clenched teeth while Melina encouraged him to squeeze her hand.

"I…I don't want to…h-hurt you-"

"You won't. I'm a vampire, remember?"

He still wasn't comfortable taking the risk, so he just let her continue holding onto him. Her cool skin felt good against his own, which seemed to be retaining heat like an oven. Sweat started to pour down his face like heavy rain. A few pathetic kicks sent the blankets flying off of him and onto the floor.

PJ imagined that being burned alive felt something like this.

The werewolf was vaguely aware of the cool breeze now emanating from the ceiling fan, an icepack being placed on his forehead, and Melina's voice floating above him, although he couldn't make out her words. He blinked, trying-and failing-to bring her lovely features into focus. All the while, he struggled to find a position that would ease his suffering.

Time was irrelevant. He wasn't sure whether his misery lasted mere minutes or dragged on for hours, although it certainly felt like the latter. The pain was so relentless that he wondered if it would be better to die than live through it. The "reward" for survival would be going through more of the same every full moon-_and_ turning into a wolf.

_I don't want any of this. _

It was nothing short of a miracle when he finally lost consciousness.

* * *

Wade didn't come home until the next morning-and he was a mess.

His skin was smudged with dirt, his disheveled hair had reverted back to its natural curly state, and there were traces of blood in his teeth and in the corners of his mouth. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, making him appear older than he was.

Sheamus, who had passed out in the leather armchair, sprang to his feet the moment he heard the key inserted into the lock. He exchanged quiet goodbyes with Melina and Wade and accepted a handshake and words of gratitude from the alpha werewolf before letting himself out.

Melina waited until the front door was closed-she feared being struck by one of the first beams of morning sunlight-and cautiously stepped into the hallway. She checked on PJ one last time before exiting the living room, relieved to see that he was still sound asleep. He looked so peaceful in spite of the torture he'd endured up until the last hour, when exhaustion had finally claimed him. He'd spent most of the night struggling to get comfortable, his temperature fluctuating between hot and cold and his body in so much pain that almost every movement brought a grimace to his face.

Placing an index finger to her lips, she jerked her head in the direction of their bedroom, then turned on her heel. Wade's heavy footsteps followed behind her and his heart actually skipped a beat along the way.

"I've missed you, too, love." He smirked as he pulled the door shut behind him. A day or two ago, Melina would have been excited by the lust in Wade's eyes, but now it disgusted her. "I see you've met the newest member of Nexus, Paul Lloyd Junior." He looked so fucking proud of himself at that moment that Melina suspected he was one of those men who got off on torturing the innocent. No wonder he wanted to have sex with her even after the night he'd had…

"How could you? How could you _do_ that to him?" It took such an effort to avoid screaming at him that she was practically biting through her tongue to rein in her emotions. "You had _no right_-"

"This is pack business, Melina. It's got nothing to do with you." A note of annoyance had crept into his tone. "However, if you wish to discuss it, we can do so in the shower." The smirk returned as he reached for her, but Melina backed away from his touch until she bumped into the side of the bed. Given his state of mind, it was probably the worst place to be, but she was desperate to put some distance between them.

"I was wrong about you," she whispered, her rage dissolving into tears without warning. "You're not a gentleman or a hero-you're a _monster_!"

"Like your record is so bloody clean," he sneered, folding his arms across his chest and staring down at her in contempt. "Tell me, Melina: How many people would have died if I hadn't pulled you off of them?"

"That's not the same thing and you know it," she argued, but shame and disgust washed over her regardless.

Wade rolled his eyes. "I don't understand why you're so upset. He _wanted_ to join Nexus."

"No, he didn't! He told me so himself!" Melina's voice rose in fury despite her vow to keep their discussion private. "I know you did something to make him change his mind…As far as I'm concerned, you turned PJ without his consent. You're just like Randy-"

Wade moved so fast that Melina couldn't have possibly evaded the blow. The next thing she knew, he had delivered a slap with enough force to knock her to the floor. Her nose made a sickening crunching sound when his hand connected with it, causing a glass-shattering shriek to escape her throat. Blood gushed from her broken nose, staining her lips and chin before she could attempt to stifle the bleeding.

"Maybe that will teach you to keep your fucking mouth shut," he snarled, leaning over her. His face was contorted with rage. "If you _ever_ compare me to Orton again, I'll-"

His threat was interrupted by a muffled thumping sound and followed by a groan. Melina realized that PJ had overheard their argument, if not the slap, and tried to intervene. In his weakened state, he wasn't capable of _walking_, let alone playing the hero in a domestic violence situation between two supernatural creatures.

"Lloyd's awake," Wade remarked in a tone one might use when talking about the weather or a song on the radio. "Clean yourself up and take care of him-and make me some coffee while you're at it."

She wanted to tell him to make his own fucking coffee, but one look into his menacing green eyes paralyzed her vocal cords. The vampire darted past the man she'd once loved, keeping her gaze trained to the floor, and into the bathroom. Working quickly, she scrubbed the now-dried blood off her face and cried out again as she tried to reposition her broken nose.

_Wade could've given me a few tips on fixing broken noses…_But he didn't, of course, so she was on her own. Her first attempt wasn't quite successful, but her nose was mercifully close to normal again after the second try.

He was waiting in the hallway for her when she opened the door, shifting his weight from side to side, eyes narrowed.

Melina was so terrified that she couldn't move. She recalled Wade telling her once that vampires were faster but werewolves were stronger, especially during and around the full moon. Meanwhile, her nose continued to throb-a reminder of the violence Wade was capable of.

"Took you long enough," the Brit snapped, yanking her out of the bathroom by the arm and shutting himself inside. If she had still been human, he would have imprinted a hand-shaped bruise on her flesh.

Trembling, she waited for him to turn on the faucet before coming to PJ's aid. Now that she'd finally met the real Wade-or Stuart, or whatever he chose to call himself-Melina wished she had heeded the warnings of his fellow Nexus members. But it was too late for that.

Tragically, it was also too late to change PJ's fate.

For the first time since becoming a vampire, Melina had a goal that involved something other than acquiring blood. The only thing that mattered now was finding a way for both of them to escape from Wade and whatever evil plans he had in store for them.


	15. Keep the Rebels Down

I'm so sorry for the delay. I really struggled with this chapter and ended up rewriting the first part. The title is from the Corre's theme, "End of Days" (credit to Jim Johnston for this version). Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

"I heard you fighting with Wade," PJ explained as Melina helped him return to his makeshift bed. "I was afraid he might have hurt you-"

"No! No, of course not," Melina interrupted in the quick, nervous manner of someone desperately trying to cover up a lie. "And we weren't fighting earlier. Wade just gets mood swings around the full moon."

_Great. Mood swings. Something else to look forward to. _He studied Melina's face, noting her watery brown eyes and tightly pressed lips and…Was it his imagination, or did her nose look the slightest bit crooked?

_Wade _hit_ her. _It was one hell of an accusation to make, and PJ had no evidence other than his own suspicions and a rumor floating around the FCW locker room that involved a pretty blonde wrestler named Celeste, a black eye, and Celeste rejecting Wade's advances.

"How do you feel? Are you hot? Cold? Do you want something to eat?"

"Cold-and tired," he said at last, admitting defeat. Melina wasn't going to open up to him no matter what he said or did. "How long was I asleep?" He listened to the water running in the shower, which unexpectedly triggered his memory. Melina had informed him that werewolves had better hearing than human beings. Had she changed the subject because Wade was eavesdropping on their conversation?

"About an hour. Go back to sleep," she pleaded, removing the blankets from the floor and smoothing them over him. Even that simple movement caused her to wince.

PJ shook his head. He knew that he was the source of Melina's argument with Wade and, irrational though it may be, he blamed himself for whatever abuse Wade had inflicted upon her. Melina had gone out of her way to take care of him and he wanted to protect his new friend-even if all he could do for her was keep an eye on Wade. Something told him the other werewolf wasn't eager to air his dirty laundry in front of others.

"I-I have to make coffee for Wade, but I'll be right back, okay?" She disappeared before he could answer or even nod his head.

PJ contemplated his new life while he waited. He could kick himself for changing his mind at the last second and agreeing to join Nexus. It didn't make any sense. He had been ready to do almost anything to escape Wade's clutches, but then he'd met the man with the Scottish accent in the parking lot of his apartment complex and…PJ found a disturbing blank space when he tried to retrieve their conversation from his memory. He decided that the man-Drew-must have somehow convinced him to change his mind, but what, exactly, did he say? And what was his connection to Wade?

Melina returned while PJ was still trying to unlock his memories and resumed her position on the floor by his side. Neither of them felt much like talking, but he struggled to keep his eyes open, afraid that Wade might come back and start trouble if he didn't watch him like a hawk.

He was just starting to doze off when Wade entered the room, clad in dark jeans and an olive green T-shirt, his hair slicked back as usual.

"Good morning, love," he said cheerfully, leaning down to kiss Melina on the cheek. "Be a dear and get me a cup of coffee." Melina frowned slightly but didn't hesitate to retreat to the kitchen again. With her gone, the pack leader directed his attention towards the other man. "How are you doing?"

"Awful," PJ groaned. The pain was starting to wrap around him again, a dull ache that would surely increase over time until he felt like he was being tortured to death.

Wade waved a hand dismissively. "Everyone feels like that. You'll be fine.

"By the way, I've taken the liberty of selecting a new name for you," Wade continued, gracing PJ with one of his trademark smirks. "It's an honor to have you in my pack, Justin Gabriel."

"I'm not changing my name," PJ said in a low voice, "and I'm not joining your pack, either." He clenched his jaw, feeling heat rush to his face. His name was a source of pride to the young South African- a way to honor his father's memory. He didn't mind wrestling under a different name to match his persona of the moment, but he refused to play a role outside of the ring.

"Let me remind you that I am the alpha." Wade's tone was cool, but his eyes had clouded over with anger. PJ noticed Melina hesitate in the doorway, a cup of coffee in one hand and fear etched into her beautiful features. "You, _Gabriel_, are my creation, which automatically makes you a beta member of Nexus-my subordinate. Therefore, you will answer to me as the others do or face grave consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

PJ nodded sullenly. He avoided meeting the pack leader's gaze, which was so intense it could have set fire to anything within range.

"There's no need to legally change your name. You will be known as Justin Gabriel only within the pack and to the paranormal community at large. It's symbolic of your submission to me and to Nexus as well as embracing your new identity as a werewolf."

PJ sighed and closed his eyes again. He could practically feel the resistance leave his body. Wade seemed to possess an almost vampiric ability to suck the soul out of anyone whose fate he held in his hands. Even Melina acted differently around him: Watchful, jumpy, and eager to please, she defined the stereotype of an abused woman.

"You'll stay with us until you're well enough to be on your own," Wade said, taking his coffee from Melina without bothering to thank her. "Don't worry, Gabriel. I'll teach you everything you need to know."

As he drifted back to sleep, PJ thought rather bitterly that he already knew more than he wanted to.

* * *

"We need to talk."

Melina was enveloped by an eerie sense of déjà vu as she watched Wade block the doorway from her seat on the bed. Any hope that he might show remorse for his actions-turning PJ, slapping her-died when she evaluated his expression.

"About?" His tone implied that he was a very busy man who had other, more important matters to attend to. Never mind that it was his day off and he'd probably spend most of it recovering from the side effects of last night…

_So much for an apology…_Melina's courage nearly failed her, but then she thought about PJ writhing in agony, alternately sweating buckets and shivering as if he'd been dunked in ice water, and her determination returned tenfold.

"PJ-"

"You will call him Justin or Gabriel from now on," Wade corrected her.

Okay then…"_Justin_ is really sick. He's in a lot of pain, and he has a bad fever….I, um, wanted to know if Sheamus could make a potion or something to ease his suffering-"

"He already has. He's offered it to me several times, actually."

Melina's jaw dropped. "Please…" She tried to swallow the sudden burst of hope that bubbled up inside, but her excitement had already run away with her. "If you have any left, P-Justin needs it…"

Now it was Wade's turn to look surprised. "Why would I want it in the first place? Suffering builds character, Melina. A werewolf who cannot learn to tolerate pain will not survive long in this world _or_ in my pack."

_He doesn't have a soul._ The room temperature seemed to have dropped twenty degrees in the past minute. Melina couldn't bear to waste one more second on this conversation or in Wade's presence.

"I'm going to check on him," she blurted out. She attempted to duck under Wade's arm and bolt out the door, but he caught a handful of her long black hair and dragged her back into the room. Wade used his elbow to close the door behind them. Then the lock clicked into place, imprisoning them together. Melina didn't dare scream for fear of awaking PJ.

"I'm the one who needs you right now-not Gabriel," Wade snapped.

Melina suddenly remembered his invitation to shower with him and felt her stomach coil into a knot of fear.

"No…Please don't…Please, Wade, don't do this," she pleaded helplessly as he threw her roughly onto the bed, causing her nose to throb all over again. "What if...What if Justin wakes up?"

Wade smirked. "Don't worry, doll. He's too weak to crawl this far." He pinned her arms above her with one hand and managed to both unbutton and unzip her jeans in spite of her relentless struggle to evade his touch.

"Stop it!" she ordered, earning another slap. This one connected with her left cheek and was powerful enough to snap her head to the right. Her brains seemed to be rattling around inside her skull and she wouldn't be surprised if she developed whiplash.

"You're my property. I'll do whatever the fuck I want to you. Now shut up and be a good girl or I'll…" He paused, and a chilling grin crossed his handsome face. It was the grin of a serial killer about to carve his victim up with a knife or strangle her to death. "I'll have the rest of Nexus 'initiate' Mr. Gabriel into the pack. You've no idea the violence we're capable of…However, if you decide to cooperate"-Wade left a trail of kisses down Melina's neck before continuing-"we'll skip the hazing entirely. What's your decision, love?"

Melina went limp and tears began to stream down her face as she met his gaze. There was no love in those beautiful green eyes-only cruelty and lust. She was so naïve, so fucking _stupid_, to give her heart to him. Too late, she realized that Wade's acting abilities transcended FCW and bled over into every aspect of his life.

"Don't hurt him," she whispered.

"Don't give me a reason to," Wade countered. He wasted no time in stripping off her jeans and underwear.

She squeezed her eyes shut and told herself this was just a business transaction. Her payment was Wade's promise not to inflict further violence upon PJ. To her embarrassment, her body responded automatically to being violated, causing harsh laughter to escape from Wade's lips.

"So, you like it rough, do you? I'll have to remember that."

Her initial pleasure was soon replaced by a brutal stabbing sensation that almost had Melina convinced that Wade was penetrating her with a knife. She bit her lip until she tasted blood to keep from begging and pleading with him to stop. Her torment wouldn't last long, but PJ might not survive an assault from a pack of full-fledged werewolves in his condition. At the very least, it could take him until the next full moon to recover…He'd suffered enough already.

By the time Wade was satisfied, Melina had learned an important lesson: Wade always got what he wanted-and he would do _anything_ to get his way, regardless of how sadistic and immoral his actions were.

* * *

"How pathetic." Maryse had materialized just in time to see Randy remove three of those plastic hospital bags of blood from the refrigerator and deposit them on the kitchen counter. "What did you do, rob a blood bank?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." Randy tore into one of the plastic bags with his fangs, tilted his head back, and slammed the contents down like a shot of liquor. Blood trickled down his chin as he swallowed.

"I bet you could go for a taste of a beautiful young woman right now-and I'm not just talking about blood." She sat on the counter to his left, crossing one leg over the other and hiking her dress up a few inches. "That's why you cannot feed from them anymore, oui? It must be _torture_."

"I would appreciate it if you'd stop interfering in my sex life," Randy replied through gritted teeth, but he stole appreciative glances at her whenever he thought she wasn't looking.

"Well, _I _would appreciate it if you forgot about that chienne Melina , but we can't always get what we want." She tilted her head and studied him from underneath her false eyelashes. "Did you know the Nexus pack has a new member?"

"So I've heard." There was an aura of anger surrounding his nonchalant words.

"He's cute." Maryse made sure Randy was paying attention before she ran her tongue over her lips. That simple movement forced an involuntary shudder of longing out of the male vampire. "I want to make love to him for _hours_-while you watch, of course."

Randy said nothing, but he ground his teeth together and gripped the second plastic bag a little tighter.

"I've also heard that Wade Barrett is fucking my replacement," she added in a bored tone as she examined her fingernails-which were, naturally, painted bright red.

_That_ hit a nerve. Randy squeezed the bag hard enough to make it explode, showering him, the table, and the carpet in blood droplets-and sending flecks of blood through Maryse's transparent form. She threw back her head and erupted in throaty laughter.

"You seem tense, Randy. Perhaps I could help relieve some of that…tension." Maryse leaned over and attempted-without success-to lick a drop of blood off his cheek, positioning herself so that her breasts were almost close enough to touch his face.

_Randy always did look hot with blood smeared all over him, _she remembered wistfully.

"Get off me, Maryse," he growled, but he was too distracted by her cleavage to put much anger behind his words.

"I think you mean, 'Get me off, Maryse.'" She decided to straddle him and was delighted to receive an immediate-and impressive-physical reaction. "I told you we'd be together forever, Randy, and I intend to keep my promise."

"Lucky me."

"I'm feeling…nostalgic. That's the word, isn't it?" Maryse leaned in even closer and allowed her lips to brush against his ear as she spoke. "Let's pick up one of the sluts at Del Rio's and have a little fun tonight. I might even let you fuck this one."

Randy cocked his head and studied her, those intense blue eyes searching for a hint of sincerity.

"I don't trust you."

Maryse grinned. "You probably shouldn't."


	16. Visitors

I'm so happy with the response to this story. Please keep reading, reviewing, and inspiring me!

* * *

"Get up. I want breakfast."

"I can't," Melina moaned. She couldn't believe that Wade had the audacity to insist she treat him like a king after the brutality he'd just inflicted upon her.

"_Try_," he snarled, grasping her arm and hauling her off the bed. Melina pressed a hand to her mouth to muffle a shriek of protest and her knees buckled the second her feet touched the floor.

Wade abandoned her once he realized she was too weak to even stand, let alone walk around. Melina curled into the fetal position and, squeezing her eyes shut, braced herself for the inevitable kick to the ribs or punch in the face, but Wade just called her an ungrateful bitch and stormed off. She heard the doorknob rattle and listened to his footsteps gradually fade away.

Melina reached up and felt around the bed for her panties and jeans. She was bleeding-not profusely, but enough to leave evidence behind-and God only knew what Wade would do to her if her blood soaked into the floorboards…

She slowly and carefully slipped back into her underwear. It took all of her self-control not to scream when the fabric scraped against her injured flesh.

Fuck putting on pants right now. It could wait.

The vampire resumed her place on the floor and began to sob. Her body was already trying to heal itself, but each fresh round of tears nonetheless jolted her small frame. The pain was her only proof that she wasn't dreaming-the only proof that the man she loved had actually slapped her around and raped her.

Melina didn't care whether the moon was behind Wade's violent mood or if it was just in his nature to do evil things. A man who lost his temper like that even once was capable of doing it again…and again.

She'd rather die than stick around to see what other horrors awaited her in the future.

For a split second, it occurred to her that-if she was able to summon the strength-she could crawl over to the window, yank off the curtains, and let the sun reduce her to a pile of ashes. No more pain, no more fear, no more sorrow…Just an empty void in the universe where her soul once existed.

Then she remembered PJ and she hated herself for even _thinking_ of committing suicide. No, she couldn't-she _wouldn't_-leave him all alone to suffer the consequences of Wade's wrath.

Melina didn't understand how she could have faith in PJ after being betrayed by Wade, John, and Randy, but there was something different about him…Like her, PJ was new to the paranormal world, struggling to accept a fate that he never would have chosen for himself. He'd even tried to come to her aid despite being tormented by a raging infection. There seemed to be an inherent goodness within him.

By the time her tears dried up, the combined aromas of Wade's breakfast-bacon, orange juice, and slightly burned toast-had drifted down the hall. PJ's deep, relaxed breathing provided reassuring background noise while the alpha werewolf devoured his meal.

Minutes later, a chair scraped against the kitchen tile and dishes clunked against the metal sink. Melina was paralyzed with fear as she listened to those familiar, heavy footsteps retrace their path to the master bedroom.

Wade, surprisingly, acted like the sensitive gentleman she had fallen head over heels for. He stared at her for a moment, as if puzzled that she hadn't moved yet, then gently scooped her up and deposited her on the bed.

Her muscles grew tense as lowered himself into a resting position behind her and pulled her against his body. She chose to turn over on her side rather than look at him, because she knew she'd regret giving in to the temptation to either spit in his face or rearrange it.

"I didn't want to hurt you, love, but I had no choice," he murmured, sounding sleepy.

"Because of the moon, right?" Her words had a sarcastic edge to them. Melina would never forgive Wade's sadistic behavior-not even if he bought her a dozen red roses and apologized every day for the rest of his life.

"Well, yes, but I also needed to put you in your place. After everything I've done for you…You've no right to deny me anything."

Melina glanced over her shoulder and stared at him incredulously.

"I'm not some fifties housewife, Wade!"

He ignored her outburst. "You know, you're lucky to have me, Melina. Most men would want nothing to do with a walking corpse who can't keep her bloody mouth shut."

The vampire turned away again, her lowered lashes hiding the tears that swam in her eyes. She was overwhelmed by a mosaic of emotions that encompassed hatred, disgust, grief, and shame. He had wounded her so deeply that he might as well have driven a stake through her heart or set her on fire.

Wade passed out seconds later, his arm still draped over her. Since Melina couldn't wriggle out of his grip without awakening him, she decided to catch some shuteye, too. No, she didn't _need_ sleep, but the hours between sunrise and sunset always drained her energy considerably...

She dreamed of standing triumphantly over Wade's lifeless body, riddled with silver bullets from the gun in her hand.

* * *

PJ was startled awake by the sound of a familiar southern accent. What was _he_ doing here-and how did he know to express concern over PJ's welfare?

"Your friend Heath wants to visit with you," Wade announced as he strode into the living room, a note of annoyance creeping into his tone.

"I-I don't want to see him," PJ insisted. "Tell him to leave. Please."

"And be rude to a guest? I wouldn't dream of it." Smirking, Wade disappeared and loudly assured Heath that his friend would be delighted to receive him. PJ groaned, tempted to pull the blankets over his head, but he was starting to burn up again so he reluctantly shoved them aside. He looked around for Melina and was dismayed to discover that she was nowhere to be found.

"Hey." Heath approached him cautiously, as if he feared catching his germs.

"Hey." PJ's gaze swept over the redhead's face and he couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. There were dark shadows cast under Heath's eyes, his arms were painted here and there with bruises, and a ghostly pallor had washed out his pale skin. In some respects, his appearance was similar to Wade's…

No. Oh, no. It couldn't be…Not Heath, too!

"How are you feeling?"

"You know _exactly_ how I feel…Don't you?" PJ glared at Heath, whose crimson-stained cheeks confirmed his suspicions. "You know because you're a werewolf, too!"

Heath stared at his feet. "I'm sorry, man," he mumbled. "I _wanted_ to tell you, but-"

"But I swore him to secrecy," Wade interrupted.

"Besides, you wouldn't have believed me anyway. You would have thought I was freakin' crazy!"

PJ couldn't argue with that. He felt guilty for snapping at his best friend when his hands were tied. Wasn't that how the expression went? He just wanted to be left alone to sleep off the misery of being a newborn werewolf.

_This must be one of those mood swings Melina warned me about._

"Sorry, Heath. Guess I'm not good company tonight," he said, flashing a faint smile as a peace offering.

"It's all right." Heath offered up a weak smile of his own. "If there's anything I can do…Just let me know, okay?"

"Sure thing."

Heath glanced uncertainly at Wade. "Is Melina around? I wanted to say hi to her before I left…"

"She's resting. I'll get her."

"Oh, no. Don't do that," Heath protested, but Wade ignored his objections and continued on his way.

The two younger werewolves eyed each other uneasily while they waited.

"There's no cure, is there?" PJ whispered.

The redhead shook his head and opened his mouth to respond just as Wade's voice boomed out, "Trust me, Gabriel. You'll thank me for this someday."

_Thank you for ruining my life and my dreams? Not likely. _PJ would have probably continued reflecting on his stolen future if Melina hadn't entered the room at that very moment. One word came to PJ as he examined the smeared streaks of black makeup around her eyes and the drained expression that covered Melina's face like a mask…

_Hopeless. _

Heath cleared his throat much too loudly. "You all right, Melina?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. Just tired." Wade had linked arms with her, but it seemed less of an affectionate gesture and more of a way to prevent Melina from crumpling to the carpet-which she was staring at with the intensity of a scientist peering through a microscope.

"Daylight has that effect on vampires," Wade added. He tilted Melina's chin upward by placing a finger underneath and smiled in a way that was meant to express sympathy. "You should go back to bed, doll. You look positively exhausted."

"I-I think I will. Thanks for checking on me, Heath. See you later, PJ." She started to turn back towards the hall, but Wade stopped her. Smirking, he tapped his cheek and waited for her to stand on tiptoe and plant a kiss on that spot. Only then did he allow her to retreat.

"Um, I should get going…I just wanted to make sure PJ was okay…" Heath looked like he wanted to smack himself in the forehead as soon as he finished talking. Very few people would say they were okay after being bitten by a werewolf and beginning the process of turning.

"Good to see you again, Heath," Wade replied in a tone that conveyed exactly the opposite message. "Take care." He smiled at PJ after he closed and locked the door behind Heath. "Yell if you need anything. Melina will be glad to assist you."

_It looks like Melina needs assistance more than I do, _PJ decided, glaring at his pack leader until he disappeared around the corner. He didn't know what he role he would play in Melina's life, but he wanted to do _something _to help her…

* * *

"Look, Randy!" Maryse squealed, clutching his arm tighter in excitement. "Those people are _staring_ at me-and they're not ghosts! They must be vampires."

"They're probably just drooling over your bloodstained dress," Randy muttered. Although he'd never admit it out loud, he kind of enjoyed Maryse's presence-even if he _was_ pissed off at her for ruining his every chance to get laid.

Thanks to last night's moon phase, Del Rio's was refreshingly werewolf-free for a change. The human patrons remained oblivious to Maryse, but she had, however, attracted the attention of many vampires in the crowd-male _and_ female. Some gazed at her wistfully, as if they wished they could go back in time and get to know her intimately before her death. Most of the females glared daggers at her, eyes smoldering. Randy couldn't understand why they were jealous of someone even more dead than them.

"So, what's on the menu tonight?" Maryse's thick French-Canadian accent cut into his thoughts. "A blonde? Brunette? Redhead?"

Randy's eyes had to adjust to the pulsating red, blue, and green lights and his ears needed to filter out the obnoxious techno music before he could concentrate on scanning the club. His interest was eventually captured by a couple having drinks at the bar.

He couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the pale, freckled man with tall spikes of red hair. What was his name again?

Ah, yes. _Sheamus-_Wade Barrett's warlock friend.

Randy was stunned to realize that the Irishman was conversing with the pretty blonde next to him as opposed to just hitting on her. Even more astonishing, she was actually laughing _with_ him instead of _at_ him.

_She must be blind, drugged, or under a spell, _Randy thought, shaking his head. He couldn't imagine any woman in her right mind falling for someone who looked like that.

"Too fat," Maryse sneered. Randy quirked an eyebrow at her and she nodded in the couple's direction. "The blonde. She needs to go on a diet…I suppose we could hold her captive and starve-"

"Shut up, Maryse," he hissed. If she kept running her mouth like this, one of the "moral" vampires was going to overhear and rat him out. Alberto didn't give a fuck about anyone else's life, human or otherwise, but he was a businessman-and it was bad for business if his club got a reputation as a murderer's hunting ground.

Then again, Alberto wasn't here tonight…

The wheels were turning in Randy's mind, faster and faster, as he began to formulate what he thought was a rather ingenious plan. All he needed to do was get Sheamus' companion alone for a few minutes.

As luck would have it, he didn't have to eavesdrop on too much mind-numbingly boring small talk before Sheamus politely excused himself and headed for the restrooms. He did, however, learn one useful piece of information: The woman's name was Natalya.

Randy had no time to waste. He easily cleared a path through the dancers and couples making out, approaching his target as casually as possibly.

"Natalya?" he inquired once they were only separated by a distance of approximately three feet.

"Yes?" She turned around and smiled hesitantly. "Do I know you?"

"You're going to come with me right now." He took a step forward so that he towered over her. He kept his voice low and tried to concentrate on holding her baby blues captive, but his vision was beginning to blur. Looking into her eyes made him dizzy for some reason.

"I don't think so, _vampire_," she hissed.

It took Randy a second or two to recover from his initial shock at being identified. He reached for Natalya's wrist, convinced he could drag her out of Del Rio's before anyone even noticed, but then he actually touched her-and immediately recoiled with a bewildered "What the fuck?" His hand burned as if he'd plunged it into a bonfire and smoke emanated from his fingertips. The mystery was solved when he noticed the smirk on Natalya's beautiful face.

"You're a witch."

"Yeah, I am-and I'm not going _anywhere _with you."

Randy backed away hastily and attempted to cool down his smoking, blistering hot hand by blowing on it. His spirits were further dampened by the sound of Maryse giggling and Sheamus' return.

"What do you think you're doing, fella?" the Irishman demanded, his fists clenching involuntarily as he glanced from Randy to Natalya and back again.

"This creep tried to abduct me," Natalya explained, glaring at Randy.

"Stay away from her or you'll find out what spontaneous combustion feels like," Sheamus threatened. One of his milky white arms snaked around Natalya's waist protectively.

Scowling, Randy turned and began to stalk through the crowd in search of Maryse. She wasn't hard to find: The ghost was grinding seductively against a puzzled-and rather attractive, he grudgingly admitted-human man, her waist-length blonde waves swinging in the air. When she spotted Randy, she grinned at him and dissolved, reappearing in front of him seconds later.

"Courage, mon chéri. I got you a present."

Randy followed her gaze until his eyes landed on a pretty twenty-something brunette wearing a short hunter green dress. She wobbled slightly in her heels as she exited the club.

"By the way, the security cameras aren't working tonight," Maryse whispered conspiratorially and winked at him.

"No tricks," Randy said sternly to his ex-lover, only to watch her vanish during the brief pause between his words. Shrugging, he trailed the brunette onto the sidewalk.

"Excuse me," he called softly. When the woman spun around, light brown curls bouncing, he attempted to enchant her with his most charming smile. "You forgot something."

"I did?" Her tone was all innocent confusion, but there was a flash of suspicion in her green eyes-suspicion that melted with little effort on Randy's part. Thank God this one wasn't a witch. "What is it?"

"Me. You said I'm hot and you want to have sex with me."

"You're hot. I want to have sex with you," she paraphrased in a zombie-like monotone.

Randy smirked. "What are we waiting for?"

As he took her arm and began to lead her to his car, he found himself wishing-again-that he hadn't killed Maryse. The sexual chemistry he shared with his maker was unlike anything else he'd experienced in either his human lifetime or his afterlife. Hell, she _still _turned him on even though she was a fucking _ghost_.

He hoped that Melina could rival Maryse in that department.


	17. Out of Control

I am so sorry for the delay in updating! I've been busy writing another fanfic, not to mention an original. Happily, my inspiration for this story has returned. Please be patient with me and enjoy this chapter in the meantime. Oh, and blame Google Translator if there are any problems with the French dialogue.

* * *

"Get your hands _off_ of me!"

Eve Torres was a beautiful woman-_was_ being the key word.

By the time Randy and Maryse were through with her, she would be anything _but_ beautiful.

"You'll never get away with this."

There were several different categories of victims. Some cried hysterically and begged for their lives. Others kicked and screamed and punched until their bodies finally gave out. A few went silent and limp like dolls. Once in awhile, the sadistic supernatural duo even encountered a masochist who got off on being tortured.

"My boyfriend is going to _kill_ you when he finds out what you did…"

Eve fell into Randy's favorite category: She was a fighter.

"Scream all you want, honey," Randy whispered as he finished tying the brunette's wrists to the bedposts. "No one's going to save you."

"Go to hell!" she snarled, wriggling with the violent intensity of someone suffering from a seizure.

"This _is_ my afterlife," Randy said with a revealing grin.

Eve froze, and her green eyes took on a distinctly saucer like-appearance as she watched his fangs descend. Her heart rate accelerated further.

"No…This can't be happening…" she whispered, whipping her head back and forth in a panic. "Vampires aren't real!"

"I forgot how stupid humans can be," Maryse muttered, rolling her eyes.

Randy glanced over his shoulder at her and smirked.

"Ladies first."

Maryse swiped Eve's cheek with her long nails. The other woman gasped as blood rained from her open wounds. Randy, meanwhile, leaned in even closer to get a taste. Her fresh, hot blood was so delicious in comparison to his recent meals that Randy moaned in appreciation.

They worked in tandem. Maryse continued to slash Eve's naked flesh with her nails, slapped her a few times, and briefly covered her nose and mouth with one hand to give the brunette the illusion of suffocating. Randy busied himself with sinking his fangs again and again into various body parts and quenching his thirst. Within minutes, Eve's face, throat, breasts, and inner thighs were covered in blood, raw scratches, and bite marks. Her voice had become hoarse from screaming so much.

"I can't…hold off…much longer," Randy groaned.

"Me neither," Maryse agreed-and then she vanished. Randy squinted into thin air, as if he could will Maryse back if he stared hard enough.

"Vous cherchez Maryse, Randy? Je suis juste ici."

The voice clearly belonged to Eve, but the French, the seductive undertone, the devilish smirk on her face, and those lustful eyes were Maryse trademarks. It took a moment for him to realize what she'd done.

"Qu'est-ce que tu attends?" She repeated the question in English for his benefit. "What are you waiting for?"

Randy stripped quickly-even by supernatural standards-and proceeded to have the most incredible sex he'd had since…Well, since Maryse was still a vampire. Maryse/Eve was equally turned on, moaning and quivering in anticipation of his every touch.

"Get out before I kill her," he ordered after they'd both reached the height of ecstasy. He was afraid that Maryse's spirit might remain trapped within Eve's corpse after the brunette's death and that he would lose her forever this time. Of course, he couldn't bring himself to tell her that.

"Oui, darling!" was her cheerful reply, and she dove out of Eve's body with the grace of an Olympic swimmer. The ghost was still clad in her bloodstained gold dress, with perfect makeup and not a hair out of place.

Meanwhile, their victim blinked repeatedly and cast a bewildered, wide-eyed look in Randy's direction. She clearly had no memory of being possessed, yet she was breathless and glowing from Maryse's actions.

"What do you want for a souvenir, Maryse?" Randy, too, was enjoying the side effects. He wished Maryse had gotten this idea sooner, and he hoped she'd do it again…and again.

"Who's Maryse?" a dazed Eve wondered.

"You'll meet her soon," Randy assured his victim, caressing the side of her face and then licking the blood off his fingers. He turned back to the blonde, who seemed to be giving the subject much thought.

"J'ai toujours voulu les yeux verts," she confessed, her hazel eyes gazing wistfully upon Eve's face. She translated when Randy raised an eyebrow in confusion: "Her eyes."

Randy vanished and reappeared seconds later, brandishing an impressive knife. He smirked at the panic-stricken young woman tied to the bed.

"Don't worry. I won't kill you with this. I'm just going to use it to cut out your eyes."

"Do it while she's still alive," Maryse encouraged him, wearing a twisted smile on her exquisite face. "Her screaming is music to my ears."

* * *

"Bryan? What are you doing in the dark?"

Bryan Danielson flinched at the sudden flood of bright light and inclined his head in his girlfriend's direction. He was only vaguely aware of the sun's position, having spent most of the day on the sofa in a rumpled T-shirt and torn jeans, alternately channel surfing and staring at the wall.

In many ways, he'd been living the same day every day since that fateful night in early June.

"Really? I didn't notice. I'm half blind, remember?" The bitterness that crept into his tone ruined his attempt at a joke.

Gail Kim dropped her purse in the nearest chair and flung her long black hair over one shoulder the way she always did when she was angry. She glared at him, hands on her hips, and shook her head almost violently. Bryan knew he was in for yet another lecture on gratitude.

"What happened to you sucks, Bryan, but I'm not going to let you sit around feeling sorry for yourself. You're _alive_ and you're _human_. Most people who get attacked by a pack of werewolves aren't so lucky."

"Like PJ Lloyd," Bryan muttered. He heard Gail's sharp intake of breath at their mutual friend's name and raised his watery blue eyes to meet her brown ones. Even with minimal vision in his left eye-thanks to repeated kicks from a notorious Englishman's boot-he could see his girlfriend's distress. Gail, who trained FCW's female division, and Bryan, a former wrestler, had taken an instant liking to the South African with a heart of gold.

"Oh, no," Gail whispered, putting a hand to her mouth. "Is he…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"Stu turned him, the bastard." Bryan practically spit out the words as he combed his fingers through his short, dirty-in color as well as condition-blond hair.

"How can you be sure?"

"Last night was the full moon-and they would have found his body already if he'd been killed. You know how the Nexus pack operates."

"Damn it." Gail sank down next to him on the sofa.

"I'm a failure, Gail." Bryan covered his face with his hands and groaned. "I let PJ down. I condemned him to this fate."

"No, you didn't. You tried to warn him-"

"And I _failed_ because he's one of _them_ now. A…werewolf." Bryan's voice cracked as he continued. "I thought I survived because I was meant to save others from Stu Bennett-or Wade Barrett, or whatever the hell he calls himself these days-and Nexus. But if I can't do that…It was all for nothing, Gail. Nothing!" His fist came down weakly on the coffee table for emphasis.

He felt Gail's arm around his shoulder and heard her offer comforting nonsense while he glanced down at his feet. There wasn't much he could do physically since he had a litany of health problems as a result of the Nexus assault: Even breathing and walking around the apartment were all but impossible at times. Being so helpless sometimes hurt more than living with his injuries.

Some people tormented themselves with "what ifs" about the future.

Bryan was one of those who struggled with "if only" thoughts about the past.

_If only I had identified myself when I called PJ…If only I had been able to visit him and show him what Nexus did to me…If only I had told him that Barrett and his friends are werewolves…_

"You can't change the past, Bryan," Gail said softly, as if she had read his mind.

He almost smiled in response. Sometimes, he had a hard time convincing himself that Gail _wasn't_ telepathic. She was the reason Bryan woke up in the morning and also the reason why he kept a low profile after the near-fatal assault. He had to protect her from Wade Barrett and the unthinkable things he dreamed of doing to his enemies and their loved ones.

It was too late to save PJ's humanity, but there had to be _something_ Bryan could do to help improve his friend's situation while keeping Gail safe-and he wasn't going to rest until he figured out the answer.

* * *

"Where's the kitchen?"

"What do you want? I'll get it for you," Melina offered. Although she was still in pain, she knew that PJ must be feeling much, much worse. He'd probably faint if he tried to walk now.

"Oh, don't do that," PJ protested. "I-"

"He's craving raw meat." Wade was busy channel surfing and didn't even bother to glance up. "Isn't that right, Gabriel?"

A startled PJ nodded.

Melina's eyebrows arched. "Is that safe?"

"Not for _humans_." Wade emphasized the last word in a way that implied Melina was an idiot for asking. Obviously, she should know by now that werewolves were as different from ordinary human beings as vampires were. "Get me something, too."

"I'll see what we have." Melina dutifully slunk into the kitchen and searched the refrigerator. She dumped three slices of bacon onto one plate and three more onto another. PJ could always ask for seconds if his stomach was up to the task.

Wade would almost certainly ask for seconds, if not thirds-just because he was an asshole.

PJ, of course, thanked her and did his best to smile. Wade didn't. No surprise there. They ate in silence while Melina stood around awkwardly and waited for them to finish.

After awhile, she found herself mesmerized by the pulsating veins in the two werewolves' throats. Her stomach gave a sharp twist and her fangs became exposed involuntarily. Werewolf blood tasted awful, but she was _so_ hungry…When she realized PJ was staring at her, she hastily excused herself and fled to the kitchen.

An embarrassed Melina checked the refrigerator one more time, but her supply of bottled animal blood had indeed run out. She groaned as she remembered finishing the last bottle while PJ was asleep, just before Wade came home.

Wade…He was in the kitchen with her. She heard his footsteps, his heartbeat, the annoyed sigh at her erratic behavior.

Most of all, though, she smelled his blood.

Melina acted on instinct. She launched herself through the air, fangs extended and mouth open. Only Wade's quick reflexes prevented him from having his throat ripped apart. He actually struggled to restrain the thrashing, volatile female vampire.

"What the-"

"I need blood," she snarled, her rage toward him only intensifying her desire to drain him dry. "_Fresh_ blood-and I'm going to _kill someone _if I _don't get it soon_." Then she remembered how vulnerable PJ was, and how he had that exposed wound…She stopped fighting Wade and gazed longingly through the doorway to the living room. Maybe PJ's blood would taste better because he was still in the beginning stages of transformation…

"Yes, that is a problem, isn't it?" Wade was remarkably calm for someone who had nearly been attacked by a vampire only seconds before. He did, however, maintain an iron grip on Melina's arms while he spoke. "But we can't leave Gabriel alone." Wade's eyes lit up a second later. "Tell you what. I'll ring Drew and he can sit with him for a spell."

Melina was so relieved that she thanked him in spite of everything else he had done to her lately.

* * *

"Let me explain something to you: Being an alpha-a leader-is in my blood."

Out of the corner of his eye, Wade saw Melina turn her head and fold her arms stubbornly across her chest. Although her hunger was eased somewhat by the stray cat they'd picked up alongside the road, the Brit knew that Melina still wished to bite him-probably more out of spite than hunger. Women were like that, in his experience.

"It comes naturally to me, like changing on the full moon," he continued. "If a pack member were to defy my orders, he would be disciplined-and, since you're an honorary member of Nexus, the same rules apply to you."

"I wish the old Wade Barrett would return," Melina mumbled. Her voice was choked, like she was trying hard not to cry. "I know it was just an act, but I fell in love with _him._"

How bloody insensitive. Didn't she understand how exhausting it was for him to play a role that didn't come naturally, day in and day out? He was finally free to be himself again and _that_ Wade Barrett, the one Melina had been charmed by, was dead with no chance of resurrection.

"The rules are simple, Melina. Just do what I say and we'll get along fine."

"I bet you don't treat Drew and Sheamus like that," she shot back.

"Of course not. They're my best mates." He caught a glimpse of her exasperated expression and couldn't help but smirk. Then he remembered his mission and he was all business. "Speaking of Drew…I promised him you would turn Taryn."

"What?"

"You act as if you've gone deaf, Melina." Wade tightened his grip on the steering wheel, making it squeak under his hands. His tone left no room for argument. "I _said_ that you're going to turn Drew's girlfriend into a vampire-_tonight_."


	18. Bad Dreams Come True

I am really sorry (again) for the length between updates, but I struggled with major writer's block on this story. Please read and review so that I know people are still enjoying it!

Also, the title is, of course, from Drew McIntyre's theme ("Broken Dreams"-credit to Shaman's Harvest and Jim Johnston).

* * *

Melina had to overcome her initial shock before her brain and tongue could coordinate a reply.

"No."

"No?" Wade gave her a sharp look out of the corner of his eye. "I _insist_-"

"I said _no_, damn it! Drew can do it himself." If Taryn wanted to become a vampire, why wouldn't she ask her boyfriend to do the job? And Drew could turn Taryn any time if he wanted to. It made no sense whatsoever to involve a third party.

"Taryn would never forgive him, but it will look like an accident if you do it," Wade explained. "You stopped by for a visit, but you were hungry and lost control. Then you panicked and turned Taryn to save her life. Drew's girlfriend lives forever and you get a free meal. What's the problem?"

Listening to Wade go over the plan in detail gave Melina chills. There seemed to be an epidemic of people being turned into supernatural entitities against their will lately. First her, then PJ, and now…No. Not Taryn. At least, not by Melina.

"The _problem_ is that it's _wrong_ to turn someone _without their consent_!" Melina shot back. "I won't do it." The old Melina, the Melina who wouldn't take crap from anyone, had returned with a vengeance. She glared at Wade defiantly, daring him to do something, _anything_, in retaliation for her disobedience.

"That's too bad, Melina." Wade turned the corner and pulled in front of one of the nearest house. "Tell me again: What was death like?"

"Death?" Melina squeaked. That was _not _a subject she felt comfortable discussing.

"This _is_ your afterlife, my dear. Heaven, hell, ghosts…None of those things are real. If you were to, say, die tomorrow, you would simply turn to ashes and cease to exist." Wade glanced at her before continuing. His eyes appeared nearly black with anger in the darkness. "I won't hesitate to replace you with another bird if you become too much trouble."

A defeated Melina slumped in her seat. She was horrified that Wade would kill her for trying to do the right thing-and sickened by the thought of him torturing another innocent woman. Then she remembered PJ, and even Heath and Darren, and she couldn't bear the thought of leaving them behind.

"Do we have an agreement?"

She nodded reluctantly.

"I _said_, do we have an agreement?" Wade repeated loudly. He took her chin between the fingers of his right hand and squeezed until Melina's eyes brimmed with tears.

"Yes," she whimpered. He released his grip with a proud smirk.

"Good." He gestured toward the opposite side of the street. "It's the fourth house from the end-that red one. I'll come get you if you're not out in five minutes."

Melina was out of the vehicle and standing on Taryn's doorstep a second or two later. As she rang the doorbell, she tried to console herself with the fact that Taryn's death would be only temporary-but she still felt like a monster for what she was about to do.

* * *

Maryse sat at the kitchen table and rolled Eve's eyes around like a pair of dice while she waited for Randy to return. He was, of course, occupied with disposing of the brunette's mutilated body.

They had decided to murder the bitch by manual strangulation-a slow, especially painful way to die and one of Randy's favorite methods. Torturing and killing her _had_ been fun, but those experiences paled in comparison to having sex with Randy again.

Replaying the memories made the ghost tremble with excitement and the lights flicker above her head.

Thirty-four years was a _very_ long time to go without sex-_too_ long. Maryse intended to make up for lost time and possess every single one of Randy's female victims from now on.

"I wish I could wear these on a necklace," she told Randy when he came back, nodding at Eve's former eyeballs. Maryse might be a sadistic, homicidal, sex-crazed ghost, but she missed the simple pleasures many women took for granted: Wearing jewelry, changing outfits and hairstyles, experimenting with makeup and nail polish…Had she been human in this day and age, she would have pursued a career in modeling or fashion design.

There was a long pause, during which Maryse wondered if Randy was having regrets about killing her. His expression was, as always, inscrutable. There was a faint flicker of emotion in those deep blue eyes, but nothing that provided access to his thoughts.

"I hate it when you wear jewelry," he said through teeth clenched so tightly Maryse worried that he might break his fangs.

"No, you hate it when I wear jewelry from _Ted_," she corrected him, once it had dawned on her what he meant by that statement.

"Did I ever tell you how I killed him?" Randy leaned over her, resting his palms on the table. The faintest trace of a smirk appeared on his handsome face. "I ripped open his jugular. It took awhile for your precious 'Teddy' to die." He cocked his head, and now it was his turn to search for any indication that his words had hit their target. "I made him _suffer_, Maryse."

"It's a shame I wasn't there to help you murder him," Maryse replied flatly. She was careful to avoid meeting his eyes directly. It would be a shame if she gave away her secret, because messing with Randy's head was too much fun.

The truth was, Maryse _had_ slept with Ted, but only one time. He was so hopelessly devoted to her and lavished expensive gifts on her that she thought it only fair to give him something in return. Ted's father had been a minister, and, therefore, poor Teddy never experienced the joys of sexual experimentation that many of his fellow twenty-somethings had discovered. Maryse took pity on him, but she never made that mistake again: Ted was only interested in standard missionary position crap and suffered terrible guilt afterward. The former vampire could have used her mind control powers to seduce him into doing anything she wanted, but it wasn't worth the risk. Sooner or later, she wouldn't be able to rid herself of Ted's scent, and Randy would notice.

_How ironic, _she thought, _that Randy noticed my necklace first._

"Don't think I believed your lies for a second, Maryse," Randy growled, "and don't think I've forgotten about Melina, either-"

"I'm bored with this conversation," she suddenly announced. "Let me know when you want to have sex again or kill someone, d 'accord?" Maryse vanished before Randy could interrogate her further.

* * *

"Don't I know you from somewhere?"

When Wade had announced that he and Melina were going out for a little while, PJ didn't think much of it. When, however, Wade added that Drew would be staying with PJ so he wouldn't be alone, the young werewolf's chest tightened with anxiety. Something about Drew made him uncomfortable, but, since he felt like death warmed over, there wasn't much he could do about it except remain on the sofa and bide his time until the male vampire left.

"It's possible." The Scottish man stopped his pacing for a moment to address PJ. When he spoke, PJ could see the sharp tips of his fangs peeking out. "I've…lived here for awhile."

"I used to live in Scotland," PJ added hopefully. "Maybe we met there."

"Maybe," Drew agreed vaguely. He resumed pacing and PJ decided to do some mental detective work, since it was clear the vampire wasn't going to answer his questions directly.

_I'm probably just hallucinating from the fever, _PJ thought, although he couldn't quite shake his conviction that he had met Drew before.

No ordinary human could recall a conversation a vampire had erased from their mind, but, as PJ became more werewolf and less human, Drew's hold on his memories began to disappear. Eventually, he developed a shadowy image of the pony tailed man and himself standing in a parking lot. PJ got only bits and pieces of the conversation, but he remembered feeling strange at the time, as if he'd been drugged or hypnotized. He seemed to be agreeing with whatever Drew said-even repeating his words back to him almost exactly.

With a jolt, he recalled the most damning evidence of all: As he sifted through his memories of that night, PJ clearly overheard himself say, "I'm going to stay here and join Nexus instead."

He groaned and rushed to the bathroom as he was overcome by a wave of nausea. PJ wasn't an expert on vampires. All he knew for sure came from observing Melina, who drank blood throughout the day and avoided sunlight like the plague But now he was firmly convinced that vampires could influence a person's thoughts.

It was Drew's fault that he was a werewolf and a member of the Nexus pack-and it was Wade's fault, too, because he knew the whole scheme was Wade's idea to begin with.

PJ thought he might feel better once he emptied the contents of his stomach, but his hopes were quickly dashed when he got dizzy afterward. He slumped against the nearest wall before he could lose his balance and closed his eyes to keep the room from spinning. Violent shivering shook his entire body and beads of sweat rolled down his face. The muscles aches that had seized him throughout the day intensified.

He must have passed out, because, the next thing he knew, he was stretched on the sofa again with a blanket covering his body. Drew had taken a seat in Wade's chair and was rapidly tapping his fingers against the armrests. Something clearly had him on edge.

If he had the strength, he might have done something reckless like yell at Drew for ruining his life and punch him in the face. But, in his weakened state, the werewolf simply closed his eyes and drifted off into a restless, nightmare-filled sleep.

* * *

"Melina!" Taryn exclaimed with her usual bright smile. "What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?"

"I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by for a visit," lied Melina. She forced a smile to her lips, although it probably looked more like a grimace, and took a step forward when Taryn didn't welcome her inside. _I might as well get this over with, _she thought bitterly, but the universe seemed to have other ideas.

Try as she might, she couldn't put even one toe over the threshold. It felt like there was an invisible wall keeping her from entering the house.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot. You can't come in without an invitation," Taryn explained, looking embarrassed. "It's kind of a vampire rule."

"So, invite me in," Melina suggested. It was another statement that had a significant meaning, but she didn't have time to dissect it. Later, then.

Taryn shook her head. "I'd better not. I like you, Melina, but you're still a newborn and you might lose control." The vampire noticed that the blonde was careful to avoid eye contact with her. Taryn might look like a Barbie doll come to life, but she clearly had some brains in that pretty head of hers. "We can talk out here, though."

Melina was beginning to panic. She had to find a way around this unexpected obstacle-and fast.

Her very existence depended on it.


End file.
